Second Life
by Nodakskip
Summary: Xander and Cordelia find out that life after high school is not going to be easy sans the Hellmouth.
1. Chapter one

Title: Second Life

Author: Nodakskip

Beta: Theo

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I own nothing here but the story line.

Setting: AU at the end of season 3. Mostly Buffy/Charmed

Summary: Xander and Cordelia find out that life after high school is not going to be easy sans the Hellmouth.

**Chapter One**

**Hammersmith Park. Sunnydale, California.**

**Friday, May 14th 1999 4 p.m.**

Xander Harris sat alone at a picnic table, wondering what in the name of the almighty Twinkie was going on.

He'd found a note in his locker today, which had told him to be here alone at this time. The young man didn't know why the hell Buffy Summers, the vampire Slayer and Chosen One, would want to meet him here in the park rather than in the library...

But if he was going to be honest with himself, the so-called Zeppo figured this would most likely be a new round of the "please stay out of the fighting, we just don't want you to get hurt..." routine.

It had lessened for a short while lately, as taking care of Faith had been the bigger problem; but now that she had openly gone fully rogue, the main topic of interest had gotten back to him and his lack of usefulness.

(Yeah, right.) Sometimes, whenever they pissed him off with that kind of talk the boy wondered if he should have just left town after his former girlfriend Cordelia Chase had dumped him, and let all his so-called friends get killed by that bomb the asshole called Jack O'Toole had set up the night of the Apocalypse...

Xander sighed to himself, fully expecting Buffy and Willow to show up any moment and tell him to stay out of the Slayage from now on. That they didn't want him getting seriously wounded, or maybe something even worse.

And bottom line, the guy didn't know whether or not he should care anymore.

His buds hadn't even trusted him enough to tell him about that sting operation, that Buffy and Angel had planned to entrap Faith with. The way the ensouled vampire had knocked him out on the street as part of the charade had hurt - and no one seemed to care that he would have been vamp chowder, if some fang face had come along? So why should he care about their feelings now?

Young Mr. Harris stroked his chin. Graduation was coming up; he was going on his road trip after that, assuming he survived till the ceremony, and by the time he got back he was sure Buffy, Angel, Oz and Willow would be...

"I wasn't sure that you'd show."

Xander's eyes went huge, as he spun around. "Cordelia?" he asked in surprise. "YOU were the one who left me that note?"

The statuesque brunette beauty sat across from him. "You don't have to look so surprised! I can copy anyone's handwriting, easy. All I needed was Buffy's notes from chemistry, an hour to practice - and hey presto, here we are."

"I, uh, I..." Xander started searching for something to say. "I never knew that about you."

She sighed sadly. "Yeah. It's obvious now there's a lot of stuff you don't know about me."

"Look, Cordy, I..."

"No, Xander. I requested this private gathering, so let me start off - okay?"

He nodded, slowly. "Sure. Fire away."

The male teen could tell the female one was still gathering her thoughts as she said, "First, I want you to promise me that we won't start into our typical war of insults, during this little summit meeting."

Still not sure what was going on, but happy that she was talking civilly to him again, Xander said simply, "Okay, done."

She took a deep breath. "I just wanted to ask you one question, then you can go already. So, here it is. How many times did you and Willow have sex?"

Okay, now THAT was the last thing Xander thought she'd ever ask. "Sex? Willow and me? Uh, you're asking about Wills and myself? Definitely me and our red-haired acquai-"

"Yes, already!! There's no need to babble, I just wanted to know how often you and her...you know, while we were together. Ballpark figure, if necessary," she said seriously.

"Cordy, we never had sex."

The girl looked at her ex strangely, as if she didn't believe him. "Are you honestly telling me that you and Willow never did it?" And at his headshake, Cordelia leaned in across the table. "Xander - I dare you to look me in the eyes, and tell me that you never fucked Willow Rosenberg."

Somewhat surprised by her language, Xander leaned closer. "I. Have. Never. Had. Sex. With. Willow."

The former May Queen stared into his eyes for a bit, before she looked completely shocked. "Oh my God. Never?" she asked quietly.

"No. Never," Xander told her, as he leaned back. "Faith was my first, my one and only. Which only goes to prove that I may be an asshole, Cordy, but I'm not a complete asshole."

She didn't say anything for a few minutes, so Harris asked, "So, you're sure that's all you wanted to ask me?"

"Huh, what?" Cordy demanded, as if suddenly coming out of some deep trance.

"Is that all you wanted to ask me?" he repeated.

Another, deeper sigh. "Actually, no. I wasn't expecting you to say - look, I've been thinking a lot over the last week or so..."

"About what?" Xander asked with a frown.

"About how our little group, your so-called Scooby gang, were never really my friends." She held up her hand to silence his denial. "Look, as I said I've had a lot of time alone to think about this. And the truth of it all is, that the only reason I got completely sucked into all that craziness - I got involved with you tweakos, up close and personal - was because I cared about you."

Cordelia looked down, trying to fight the tears that threatened to ruin her makeup. "And you hurt me, Xander. Like no one ever hurt me before. With you, I felt real love for the first time in my life; and then you tore out my heart, stomped all over it and broke it into a million pieces..."

She looked up to see a lone tear falling down Xander's cheek. She went on, "These past few months, it's been so hard. My life has been utter crap - trying to find new friends, trying to figure out how to live poor...but that doesn't even compare to trying to get over what you did to me."

Another sigh. "I know it started out for us being just like dogs in heat, but for me it grew into something more than that. I...really did love you, dorkhead. Looking back on it, I know now I should have told you how I felt, instead of telling Buffy and then swearing her to silence after Slayerfest '98. I guess I'm partly to blame..."

"No, Cordy!" Xander shouted, startling her. "You did nothing wrong! I was the complete idiot here. Please - never, and I mean never, blame yourself for my screw-up!"

The cheerleader looked at him, a little surprised. "What are you saying?"

"It's all my fault what happened to you! Don't think you're to blame in any way, not for one second. I mean Willow and I knew it was wrong, but we - we just couldn't stop! And I didn't see that you cared about me like that, till it was way too late. It's all my fault you got impaled by that rebar..."

"No, Xander!" she interrupted him this time. "True, you are completely responsible for the vast majority of that suck-fest. But one thing you're not responsible for, is me falling through that stairwell. I didn't have to rush off like that; and besides, it was Spike who kidnapped you and Willow in the first place. It's only because of him that all of us were ever there that night..."

By the look on his face, Cordy could tell her ex didn't really accept that. "Look, here's the deal. I know you're sorry for what happened, and I also know that you would do anything to fix it or undo it. But you can't, and thinking about it now - maybe, it was all for the best..."

"What?!?"

"Calm down! I'm just saying it could have ended a lot better, but at least we split up before things got even worse than what they were. I mean, how bad would it have gotten in the end, do you think? How many times did we fight to the point of not speaking to one another, even on a good day? I just think we both need to grow up a bit first, before anything happens...and..."

"And what?" Xander asked. His voice tiny, and almost inaudible.

Cordelia looked straight into his eyes. "As I said, Xander, you hurt me more than I ever thought anyone could. Make no mistake; it will take me a long time to heal from that. But I'm sick of being the cold bitch, with no real friends..."

The girl went on determinedly, "We may have fought like cats and dogs, but the truth is the only real friend I ever had - was you. And even now, you're my best friend more than Harmony ever was."

"I am?"

"You bet your ass, mister! She would have instantly blabbed my family's money troubles to everyone in school, with a huge smile all over her face, but you didn't. You covered for me, and you paid for the rest of my prom dress three days ago. Even with all the crap that's happened between us, you still came through for me. And that means a lot to me, Harris."

Not taking his eyes off the peeling red paint of the table Xander then said, "I wish I could have been there for you with regards to that, Cor. I know how hard losing the money and social position like that must have been - it hurt you, and you had to face it alone. If only I coulda controlled my damn hormones...damn it, I should have been there for you-!"

"Look, Xander, get over the whole white knight thing - Buffy may need it from you, but I never did. And what the hell, you tried; don't forget that I was the one who dumped your ass months ago..."

She reached over, and took one of his hands in hers. He looked up, surprised by the contact. "You should know I won't get over the pain in my heart for a long time. Not tomorrow, and not next week either. But this isn't the end, pal..."

Cordelia paused, then said quietly, "I talked to Oz yesterday, you know."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. He told me about the de-lusting spell Willow said you two were trying to do, that day Spike kidnapped you guys. I know you'd decided you wanted to be with me, that you wanted to stop the fluke thing and be my boyfriend again. It doesn't mean all that much now, but it helps a little. And so does this..." She reached into her Prada purse, pulling out a pamphlet and a piece of paper.

Xander's eyes went wide at this. "Oh, man! How did...how did you get those?" he asked, more than a little defensively.

"I was curious about what had gotten you oh-so-busy, the last few days." The Chase girl held up the piece of notebook paper. "You were really planning on doing this?" He could only nod his head. "You don't have to, Xander, it's really not necessary."

"Yes it is," he said firmly.

"No it isn't, mister!" she said. Then Cordelia looked to make sure no one was around, before she pulled up her shirt to just under her bra. Xander flinched, when he saw the large white bandage taped to her side. "Because I've already had the surgery done."

"How??"

She lowered her shirt. "Funny enough, Angel. He came to me in the hospital; he figured that since Spike was the one who was responsible for what happened to me when I fell, that the darn vamp should be the one to pay for it too."

"And again I say, how?"

"Easy, Spike had a whole bunch of blood money saved up from before him and the nut skipped town last year. Angelus knew the access codes to it, so as soon as I healed from the operation Buffy's ex sent me to LA." Cordy sported a tiny smile. "Hollywood doctors? They've had lots of practice with plastic surgery down there. They even used a computer to give me a preview of what my chest would look like, with some implants..."

"You don't need breast implants, Cordy," Xander told her at once, as his eyes traveled involuntary towards her magnificent bosom. "And I know whereof I speak..."

"Oh, I know I don't need them. So you don't have to worry when I'm out there, about me getting anything like that done! Because I don't want to get parts based on my bra size..."

"Parts?"

The girl looked trapped for a moment; she hadn't been planning to mention that yet. Still, now that he knew... "I...I'm leaving town after Graduation. I'm moving to LA, to try my hand at being an actress. Model. Whatever..."

He looked down again for a moment. "Right after we graduate?"

"I don't know," she told him honestly. "When are you leaving for your road trip?"

"What does it matter?"

Cordy squeezed his hand. "It matters - because frankly, Xander, I want some good memories of high school to look back on."

He looked at her, now more confused than ever. The young woman clarified, "I meant what I said; it will be a long time before I'm fully over what you did to me. But I want us to stop being like we've been, these last few months. We can't go back to like how it was, true, but I would like my friend and old sparring partner back. Even if it is only for the last few weeks of school."

Xander searched his ex's face to see if she meant it, then said hollowly, "Cordy, I don't deserve..."

"Xander, stop," the former ruler of the elite told him. "Let's just set it all aside till we're out in the real world, okay? The fluke, our constant fighting, all of it. I just want to smile again. Even if it's just for a little while." She took his other hand. "Please."

The man mulled it over. "Where would we even start?"

"Well..." Cordelia began. "I have this great prom dress to wear tonight, but no date."

"You're not going with Wesley?" Xander asked, shocked.

"No."

"What time should I pick you up?"

"Be at my place before seven," Cordy handed him a slip of paper. "This is where our new apartment is; and before you ask, I want to leave before my mom gets home. If my mother sees me dressing up, God - she'll think I'm about to snare a rich guy so she can mooch off of him, or something..."

"I'll be there," Xander promised, checking his watch.

"Good," Cordelia said, as she stood up. "Well, I guess I have a hair appointment I have to keep, if I'm going to be ready..."

When Xander stood up as well, the woman once considered the nastiest girl in Sunnydale history surprised the guy by giving him a small kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you in a few hours. And, Xander? Even though we won't be okay with regards to that sort of thing for a long time, you never know. Maybe someday..."

And with that, Cordelia Chase silently walked away.

Xander Harris watched her back - an old euphemism for staring at her butt, in happier days - for a minute, and then he ran to his car. Before roaring off to fish out his cousin's tux, from the back of his closet.

After all, it was Friday night and he had a date with a beautiful woman to look forward to.

**Three weeks later**

Xander pulled his car up to the curb, at what was the front of Sunnydale High School. He saw Cordelia get up from one of the stone benches, from an area that hadn't been cordoned off with police tape.

"Why did you want to meet so early?" the male teen asked Cordy, when he met up with her. "You didn't decide to leave town today, or something?"

She waved off his concerned face. "No, still going tomorrow. But there is one thing I wanted to do, before all the police guys came back."

"What's that?" Xander asked her.

She reached behind the bench, to pull out their graduation caps and gowns. "You forgot yours at Giles' place the other night."

As he took it from her, Ms. Chase grabbed something else. A camera on a tripod. "We didn't have time for the senior tradition, either. We were kind of busy that night..."

He got what she was getting at. "Okay, but you do realize the school has kind of lost its photogenic qualities?" the Xandman told her, while looking at and gesturing towards the bombed-out ruins.

"Yeah," she told him pointedly. "But the stone sign on the front lawn is still intact, and as a plus - no wreckage in the background."

Five minutes later they were standing in front of the old Sunnydale High marker stone, getting ready. "So, you set the timer?"

"Yeah," Cordy told him, as she adjusted her gown. "We should have about a minute before it clicks..." she trailed off as she looked at him. She reached over to fix his tassel, blocking his view of the camera when they both heard a click and saw the flash.

Cordy groaned in dismay, as she went over to the camera. "Not one word, Xander!" the former cheerleader warned him, as she reset it.

He grinned. "Not saying a thing, Cor."

"Yes, but I know that smile. No teasing!"

Xander looked up to hide his grin. "Still not going to say a thing."

"Good!" She came back holding a small silver device. "Maybe the remote will be better, but I'm not really sure how this..."

"Ah, the big button marked Shutter might be it Cordy..." Harris teased, earning a dirty look and a teasing, "Oh, shut up and get over here!"

Both quickly put one arm around the other's shoulders, and smiled for the camera.

CLICK, FLASH

"Okay," Cordelia started to say. "You're supposed to be the funny one. Do you have any idea for good poses...hey!" she squealed in surprise, as her ex picked her up around her back and knees - as if to carry her across the threshold.

Xander lifted her up and told her, "How's this?"

"Huh?" Cordelia asked, before she broke out her thoughts of being in his arms again. "Oh, right! Yeah, it'll do. Now smile!" the girl ordered, as she twisted her face towards the camera. While she tried to hide the remote in her hand, the photographer then hit the button.

CLICK, FLASH

When Xander set her down, Cordy grabbed and leaned him up against the stone. "Okay, don't move..." she told him, before she quickly climbed onto the stone and lay across the top of it. "Move closer," the young woman ordered him, "But don't block the name on this thing."

Looking down at the sign to make sure he wasn't in the way of anything Xander said, "Ready."

"And smile!" Cordelia said, before she hit the button hidden in her hand yet again.

**Many hours later...**

"Oh, you so cheated!"

Xander looked at her innocently. "Please, Cordy! You really think I would be so petty, as to cheat during a go-cart race?"

"Hell, yes!" Cordelia said, as she removed her helmet. "Xander, you cut off a 12-year-old girl, for crying out loud!"

"I'm telling you, she swerved in front of me first!" Xander told his friend, before he felt a tap on his arm. Turning around, he found the 12- year-old girl in question behind him. "Ah..." the Zeppo started to say.

The girl just kicked him, damned hard, in his shin.

"Ow!" the X-man yelled, as the little girl gave him a nasty look before turning and walking away.

Cordelia came up behind him laughing, as she let him lean on her as he rubbed the wounded leg. "She has got to be soccer player!"

Xander just hopped around, looking ridiculous. (This is über- humiliating...)

"Come on Dweeb Boy," Cordelia said between giggles. "I'll buy you an ice cream. Will that make you feel better, ya big baby?"

"Oh sure, go ahead and yak it up," he said, annoyed.

"Oh, I intend to!" she responded amusingly.

Cordy then set him down at a nearby empty table. "Just look at me. I can already see a bruise forming here!" Xander told her, as he extended his bare leg - since he was wearing a pair of shorts.

Cordelia sighed in exasperation as she grabbed his calf, raised his leg, bent down and gave the bruise a small kiss. "That better?" she asked. "Or do you want a Big Bird Band-Aid, too?"

Xander shook his head. "Now don't go insulting my manliness, Cor."

The woman snorted in laughter again, as she got up. "What manliness?" she asked derisively, as she went over to the counter to get them each an ice cream cone.

**The outside lobby of the apartment building of Rupert Giles.**

**11:43 PM**

"Do you really think we should disturb them like this?" Willow asked her best friend, as they walked in via the main entrance fence.

"Well, I don't think there's any chance we're going to walk in on them doing the nasty, Willow," Buffy Summers said.

"I know," Willow said, with an involuntary shudder at the visual. "But this is going to be hard enough, as it is. Why do we have to do this tonight?"

"Because!" Buffy told her. "They're both leaving tomorrow. I'd rather do it now, than worry about how he'll react all summer."

"I know, Buffy, but..."

"No buts, Willow!" Buffy told her. "We both agreed. It's for the best."

They knocked on the door but heard no response, so they slowly opened it up and sneaked in quietly. Both girls came over to the main living room area, to find the small TV set showing just a blue screen, the rented VHS movie long since over.

And on the couch was a rare sight. One that neither the blond or the redheaded girl thought they would ever see again, after the events of a few months ago.

Both of the people on the couch were sound asleep. Xander was sitting at one end, while Cordelia was stretched out the length of the couch - with her head resting on her former boyfriend's lap. His left hand was on her shoulder, as if he had been stroking it.

"Oh my God, they look so cute!" Willow whispered with a big smile.

"It's almost a shame to wake them up," Buffy agreed, as she moved to do just that.

"Wait," Willow suddenly said.

"Why?" Buffy asked back.

Willow grabbed Cordelia's camera, that she had left sitting on the table behind the couch. Buffy backed away from the sleeping couple, to give Willow a clear shot. After the flash and a nod from the witch, Buffy went back over to them.

"Xander!" the Slayer called lightly, shaking him.

"Hmmm...what?" Cordelia mumbled, as she woke up first. Looking up, she saw both the other women looking at her. "What time is it?" Cordy asked, rubbing her eyes and sitting up.

"Almost midnight," Buffy told her. "What time did you guys put the movie in?"

"I think it was nine-ish..." the former cheerleader shrugged, before she shook Xander herself. "Xander, get up!"

The man only mumbled softly in his sleep, obviously in the middle of a dream. "He always was darn hard to wake up," Willow commented fondly.

Cordelia grinned. "Trust me. You just need to know the tricks of the trade..." As both women watched, Cordelia leaned in and spoke in an airhead- like voice, "Xander! Oh my God, my negligee is all wet, I need to get changed..."

Xander instantly opened his eyes. "Huh? What? But you don't wear..." the teenager stopped, when he saw Buffy and Willow fighting not to laugh in his face. (Well, that's great!)

"Yeah, never mind!" he snapped, with an annoyed look to Cordelia. "I've gotta go use the bathroom..." the lone male then mumbled, as he walked out of the room.

The girls looked questioningly to the smiling Cordelia, who just waved it off. "It's an inside joke of ours." As their looks continued the girl added, "Fine, it was a line in a very bad porno movie that we watched last year, when we were...you know."

That did nothing to end the looks.

"Oh, forget it!" the dark-haired girl said finally, as she got up and grabbed her jacket.

"Going home already, Cor?" Xander asked, coming back into the room.

"Yeah. I hafta finish packing and shove everything into my car," she told him. "So, Denny's at eight tomorrow?"

Xander thought for a moment. "Better make it seven-thirty. I want to get out of that house, as fast as I can."

"Okay," Cordelia shrugged, zipping up her jacket. She walked over to him, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Good night, Zeppo Boy."

"Oh, look Will," Buffy said in a singsong voice. "He's blushing!"

The other two ignored the comment. "Night, Cor!" Xander said, as he gave her a quick hug. "See you in the morning."

Cordelia nodded, and tossed out a "Night, guys!" then she was out the door.

Xander reached for his coat a moment later, as Willow fiddled with the camera that Cordelia had forgotten. An act that in another world would have far-reaching consequences, where the brunette had remembered to grab it...

"Well, I should be getting back home to my bed. I've got a lot of driving tomorrow..." the Xandman was about to go.

Willow dropped the camera, and Xander stopped on his way out the door - as the wheels of destiny changed direction, and Buffy put her hand on his arm. "Ah, Xan? We need to talk about something first."

Xander turned around and sighed in despair, when he saw the look on Willow's face. It was her 'I really hate to do this but it's for your own good' face. He had seen it a lot, in the last six months or so.

**Sunnydale Denny's restaurant.**

**7:42 am, the next day**

Xander munched on the food of his Lumberjack Slam breakfast, as Cordelia started in on her large helping of French toast. (Damn, this tastes good...) the male eating machine mused.

"I, I still can't believe this is it, Xander," Cordelia suddenly told him, with a sad look on her face. "I mean two months ago, I would have loved nothing more than to leave this fleapit town behind and never look back. But now..."

"But now that the day is actually here, it's a little hard, huh?" Xander finished for her.

"Yeah," Cordy responded with a shrug. "I'm going to miss so much..."

She then waved her hand around the window, that showed the town street beyond. "I know what's here, I know what's around the corner. But in LA, I'll just be one of a gazillion other teenage girls with good looks and no money." She shook her head. "Do you honestly think that by this time next year, I'll be on movie posters making out with Matt Damon?"

"Don't do that," Xander told her, sounding annoyed as he ate a bit of scrambled eggs.

"Don't do what?"

"Sell yourself short that way!"

At her look, the youth sighed. "Look, Cor. You always have this like split personality, when it comes to your self-esteem. One minute you're ready to take on the world, and then the next minute - you're so damn unsure whether you're anything more than some useless airhead..."

She just stared at him as Xander continued, "The Cordelia Chase that I know has had her share of setbacks and pain, myself being the cause of a good portion of it, but I know one thing for sure about her."

"And what's that?" Cordelia asked softly.

"That she's not a quitter. Sure, she might stumble a bit, but then she picks herself up and keeps right on going."

"I'll have to take acting lessons. And they cost money," she mused.

"So then you'll take them, make do somehow and amaze your acting coaches!" He looked her in the eyes. "Since your dad got caught for his IRS thing, you've had to cope with an entirely new life. And the career path you picked won't be easy, but you will make it. That, I'm sure of."

Cordy gave him one of her rare smiles, that he loved so much. "Thanks. But that sounded more than a little rehearsed."

Xander nodded, not ashamed to admit it. "Yeah, that's 'cause it was. I wanted to leave you with some good old Harris wisdom, before you left. I could do it over in my Yoda voice, if that helps?" His voice changed into a bad attempt at imitating George Lucas's animated creation, "A big star you will be. For strong you are with the Force, young one. And please buy my action figure."

"God, you are such a complete and utter dork!" Cordelia exploded in laughter.

"If you give me a minute, I think I can also do the Mr. Spock eyebrow thing..." Harris told his laughing companion, as he tried several times to make his right eyebrow go up unnaturally high.

"God, Dweeb Boy, don't ever change," Ms. Chase eventually told him as she settled down.

"Is that an order, oh Queen C?" her companion asked, finally doing the eyebrow trick.

"Yes it is," she told him. "When I come back here one day all rich and famous, I want to see my former boyfriend as still the biggest dork ever!"

He gave her a military-style salute and snapped off, "Yes, your Highness!"

But soon a sad look came over Xander's face. "But the only thing is - I don't think I'll still be in Sunnydale, when you become all famous like that."

Cordy looked up from her food in surprise. "What the hell are you talking about?" she asked him. "You're coming back here after your road trip to fight the good fight and all that. You know, the saving the world thing, watching Buffy's back-?"

Xander sighed, as he leaned back into the booth's seat. "Nope, 'fraid not. I've been giving an honorable Slayerette discharge from President Buffy."

"Say what?" Cordy asked, confused.

"After you left last night..." Xander started. "They sat me down and told me that when I get back from my road trip, that I am benched. As in for good. Almost didn't happen; if you hadn't left that camera there...but still. There you have it; no more patrolling. No more research with Giles, even."

"You can't be serious!" she said in amazement. "I thought they got over this crap already!"

"Oh, they told me I can still hang out with them if I wanted. Well...I get the feeling that means, when they have the time. Seems that they think college life is going to be very busy..." Xander told her with a sigh, as he scratched his cheek.

"What the hell brought this on again?"

"Ah, well. It seems that they can't trust me right now," the young man said with a touch of anger.

"Wait a damn minute!" Cordy demanded. "They can't trust you? Since when?"

"Buffy knows about the big Lie," he said simply.

As soon as Cordelia heard that, she stammered, "Xander, I swear I didn't tell any of them anything about what you confided..."

"I know you didn't, Cor," Harris interrupted her. "They put two and two together a while ago. Remember last Monday, when everyone - even G-man - was completely pissed at me?"

She nodded, remembering. "And they wouldn't tell us why..." Cordy then looked panicked again. "Xander, Buffy didn't take out her anger on you, did she?"

His head shook slowly. "No. She said I'm not a demon; and the Ted thing taught her the error of her ways about that sorta thing. It seems that she was going to though, when they first figured it out..."

"So what stopped her?" Cordelia wondered.

Xander just snorted. "Angel."

"What!?" she asked back, shocked. "But he - you - I would've thought he would have helped her by holding you down, or something!"

"From what I was told, Angel said he figured it out that I lied, a long time ago." A shrug. "One hundred years in Hell will do that for you. But he also came to the conclusion I didn't do it out of jealousy, for which my ass is kinda grateful. And Deadboy told her flat-out if she'd have tried to stall for the spell to kick in, Angelus would have killed her and destroyed the world. So it all worked out okay in the end. And basically Buff calmed down enough to be happy with just the discharge."

"So you're not coming back here - after?" Cordy asked speculatively.

"Oh, I will to grab the rest of my stuff. My parents? They won't care. But with my luck, I'll probably get stuck in the first town I go to..." He thought about it for a few moments. "Still, whatever happens - I don't think I'll be around for long after Buffy, Will, and Oz start college."

"Tell you what," Cordy suddenly told him. "When I make it big and get my fame, money and mansion, you can come out to LA and be my official boy toy."

"Ah, I see. The Hellmouth's making you channel Faith now?"

"What?" Cordelia asked, as she got a horrified look. "God, no!" She then lowered her voice, "But I mean it. After a casting agent or someone discovers me, if you ever come to LA - I want you to look me up. Join me for however long you like."

"You sure about that?" he asked, surprised. "I mean, you said you wanted to have some time to yourself..."

"Yeah, I did and I still do," the young starlet-wannabe told him truthfully. "But I've seen too many movies, where this is just the start of it all."

"Start of what all?"

"I don't want today to be the last time I ever see you, when you go on this road trip without any intention of coming back...I mean God, you could end up living in Atlanta or something!"

"Maybe," Xander said with a frown. "Maybe not. What? You think you can get rid of me that easily?" he asked her with a laugh, but stopped as her face got serious.

"Don't joke about this, Harris," she said softly.

The man looked at her, confused, as she looked sad again all of a sudden. "Cor?"

She kept her eyes down at the table. "Xander...I've lost so damn much already this year. The money, the position, my dad in jail, my mom leaving town, the rest of the family shunning poor little old me, hell - even Harmony was killed..."

Cordy then looked up right at him, "I don't want to lose you too. I...I don't want to be alone like that."

Xander reached out, and took her hand. "You won't be. We'll be by ourselves for a while, sure, at least for this summer; but it won't change anything. I'll still be your friend. You ain't gonna lose me."

She looked at him, appearing as scared as he had ever seen her. "You promise?"

"I promise," the would-have-been carpenter stated firmly.

"Thank you," Cordy whispered. She was silent for a few minutes before she said, "There's something else I should tell you."

"Oh? What?"

Cordelia Chase hesitated. "Remember I told you a few weeks ago, that Harmony would have blabbed to everyone about my money troubles?"

"Yeah?" Xander answered, not sure what she was getting at.

"Well, she would have also told everyone the other big secret that I have. The one that, outside of the Chase family, only you know. And if my dad had known that you knew...oh, boy," she told him with a sigh.

Xander looked around, to make sure no one was within earshot. "You mean about the adoption thing, right?"

"Yeah, the adoption thing." Cordy said somberly. "Back when the Chase name meant anything around here, if it had gotten out that I was not their natural-born daughter...that I was some poor little girl found on the steps of a church? I don't even want to guess what would happened."

"Cor..." Xander started. "I honestly don't see how you could have lived in that life of perfect appearances for so long, and still have any sanity left."

"It was all I knew," the woman told him. "At least, until I got to really know you," she added with a sad smile. "I was terrified."

"Of what?" he asked her, not liking his ex's downcast face.

"Xander, after I..." she stopped to collect herself. "Back when we were fighting, and I told the others about your dad in study hall that day..." Cordy took another deep breath before continuing, "When I was walking away I was patting myself on the back about it, but then halfway to biology class - I stopped cold."

She continued before he asked the question, "I was scared shitless that you would retaliate by telling everyone about the adoption."

"But I gave you my word when you told me, that I would never tell anyone!"

"I'm sorry, Xander," she said simply. "But face it - at the time, your word didn't mean squat to me."

"Point taken," the boy shrugged before asking, "Okay, I gotta ask - what brought this subject up, after all this time?"

"I said just now, the rest of the family is shunning me. The Chase's, as well as my mother's relatives," she told him, with tears in her eyes. "They all know. I don't know how they know, but they do. My cousin Tim - the same one that taught me how to ride my horse, Keanu? He called me a gold- digger right to my face, and that I wasn't going to get one red cent out of him!"

Xander's hand shot across the table to re-clasp hers. "I'm so sorry, Cor. Like I said that day, I should have been there to help you through all that...and I wish I knew what to say now, to make it all better. But I wasn't. And I don't."

A few tears fell from her face, as the former spoiled princess wrapped his hand in both of hers. They stared at each other in silence for a while, before she let go to take something out of her purse.

"I..." Cordy started, before she wiped a tear away. "I got a letter a few days ago. From my birth family."

"Oh! Well, that's good. Isn't it?" he inquired.

"I think so, but I don't know if I can handle it if they don't like me," the brunette girl told him, as she unfolded the letter. "You know what? You've convinced me of something. Before I head to LA, I'm going to go see them. They live out in San Francisco."

"You want me to tag along with you?" Xander asked, full of concern.

"No," she told him. "But thanks for asking. I just feel that...I need to do this on my own. I'll email you..." she stopped. "Oh, you've still got your Yahoo email account, don't you?"

"Yeah," the boy told her with a shrug. "I figure I can stop at public libraries here and there to check it, during my trip."

"Okay then," she continued. "I'll email you on how it goes." Then Cordelia slid him a picture. "God, Xander, to think I have sisters now!"

Xander looked over the picture at the two thin, young, brunette women in the picture; they were not as curvaceous as Cordy was, but he could see the resemblance somewhat. "Yeah, about that..."

"I have no idea how it'll all go, but at least I'll be away from all the Hellmouth garbage!" Cordy made a tiny smile. "No more vampires, witches, demons, or Slayers..."

"Not to spoil your happy thought there, Cor," Xander said with a shrug. "But vamps and demons don't just exist here in Sunnydale."

"I know," she said with a shrug of her own. "But it's nice to be delusional sometimes. At least, for a little while."

Harris looked at the picture again and asked, "One thing that's bothering me. After all this time, how is it they find you now?"

"DNA, or so I'm told," Cordelia mentioned, as she picked up the photo to look at the two women. "They've been looking for me for a long time, I guess."

"Riiiiight. And when and where would someone have gotten ahold of your DNA to test it?" Xander asked, completely confused.

"The night when I fell through those stairs and onto that rebar," she answered matter-of-factly, causing him to look away. "Xander, I told you before! I don't blame you for that part of it, okay?"

He just nodded half-heartedly after a few moments. "But still, how do you go from that to DNA tests?"

"After the...incident," Cordy said hesitantly, "The hospital had the piece of metal that they pulled out of me..."

Xander winced.

"They pulled it out and they ran some tests, to make sure there was nothing gross enough present that might cause any infections. After all, the darn thing was down in that place for years, getting God knows what all over it. Anyway, at some point my DNA was entered into the database and months later, my possible sisters got a phone call about a possible match."

"Uh, wait up - they're not rich assholes like the Chase's, are they?" Harris suddenly wondered.

"No," she responded. "I'm guessing, they're middle- or upper middle-class. And, Xander? There is one other thing."

"Lemme guess. Good or bad?" he wondered.

"It depends," she told him with a shrug. "Obviously Chase is my adopted parents' name, but I guess they picked out Cordelia as well."

"Oh, wait! Are you sayin' what I think you're saying, Cordy?" Xander asked in shocked understanding.

"Yeah. My real birth name is actually Phoebe...Halliwell."


	2. Chapter two

**ATF Mobile Command Center**

**Outside Mill Creek, Washington**

**One month later...**

Colonel Jack O'Neill, U.S. Air Force closed the tent flap behind him, before he walked over to the group of his team members. "How's it going, Carter?"

"Well...could be better, sir," his second-in-command Captain Samantha Carter told him, as she looked back at the two people being interviewed separately. "The rest of the cult members are buying the cover story that we put together. But those two? They have all the memories, mostly intact."

O'Neill looked over the two people in annoyance as he spoke, "Damn. But why? Most of the others don't remember much..."

The alien Tok'Ra symbiote called Selmak spoke through his human host, General Jacob Carter - Sam's father. "The effects of the Nish'ta on most humans is memory loss. There are rare cases of humans being able to recall events, but with regards to the young woman - I believe there is a much simpler explanation."

"And that would be?" O'Neill wondered.

"She was most likely a concubine."

"Oh, boy," Captain Carter said at that revelation. "But, uh, why would that make a difference? If that's what he used her for, then wouldn't she be just as drugged as the rest of them?"

"No," Jacob spoke, his human voice taking over from Selmak. "You already know Seth wasn't a nice guy, Sam. But the fact is, the Goa'uld often like their non-willing human concubines to have...a touch less brainwashing. Enough to be controlled, yeah - but sex with someone who is a complete zombie isn't much "fun", in their own twisted view of things."

His daughter looked at him with a sick look. "Please tell me you're kidding. She was just a sex slave to him?"

"Yes, but not a slave," General Carter told her, as he looked at the very attractive and well-endowed redhead. "The way she's dressed, the odds are that she was his favorite. She most likely was at his side at all times..." The alien rebel/U.S. Air Force officer thought hard for a moment. "How long did he have her?"

Sam Carter looked over a sheet on the clipboard she held. "About seven months. She vanished from a small town in South Carolina..." She faced her dad, "Is there any way to help her forget that time? Being a concubine to a Goa'uld...that would not be very easy to get over."

"Actually, I think she'll be okay," Jacob told her. "From the records we do have on Seth, he treated his favorites with great care. Well, as much as possible under the circumstances. I'm betting she was almost treated like a queen..."

"Sorry, Dad," Sam said, shaking her head. "But that doesn't sound all that much better to me!"

****

"Hey, dumb question I know; but how you holding up?"

The 24-year-old Kimberley Erlandson took her head out of her hands, to look at the man who sat down across from her. "You want to talk to me?" she asked him, surprised. "After what I did to you?!"

"That wasn't you. Well, not totally anyway," he told her with a shrug.

She looked at him in mild shock. "How can you be so calm about this? I goddamn near raped you, and almost beat you to death as well!"

"You remember all of that?" her companion asked, curious. "So, uh, can you fill in the blanks? I managed to piece together most of it, but-"

Kimberley just sighed, before she began the story. "He-" the woman said with a shudder, before going on.

"He told me that he was thinking of taking over your body. Because the one he had, had become known to the impure ones..." She looked down. "He ordered me to 'test' you. To see if I would...like you. And when you tried to stop me, whatever was controlling me - it got pissed that you were defying my 'god'."

The former concubine then got a thoughtful look on her face. "And I don't think I ever had a guy ever resist me like that before. Thanks anyway for trying..."

"You're welcome," the black-haired man said simply. "Kind of reminded me of my first time, actually. Of course, she beat people up before we wound up sleeping together..."

She laughed a little. "Well, at least you're sticking to what you know. But I've got to ask, just how old are you? And please say at least 18!"

"With a few months to spare, yeah."

"Oh, thank God!" she exclaimed. "The last thing out of all this I needed, was a statutory rape charge from screwing a minor!"

"Don't sweat it. And if I had been underage..." Xander told her, jerking his thumb back to the officers, "I get me the feeling they wouldn't have charged you anyway." After a moment he asked, "So, are you going to be okay with this?"

"I honestly don't know," Kimberley told him. "From what they said - they really don't want this in the papers, anymore than I do. And that the government would pay for my shrink sessions, at least..."

"A government headshrinker. Huh," the guy mused. "Look, I know you most likely want to forget all this, as soon as possible. And if I was in your shoes, I guess maybe I would too. But if you ever need to talk about it...I mean, it sounds like you won't have many people you can talk to about all that crap. So, I'll be there for you if you want."

She looked at him with unsure eyes. "I don't know."

"Well, how about I give you my email address - and if you want to talk, we can. If not..." he trailed off. "It's your call."

O'Neill cut off her reply as he came over, "Mr. Harris? I need to have a word with you."

A minute later, the two men were off by themselves in a corner of the massive tent. "You mind telling me who you are?" the colonel then demanded.

The teen looked at him, confused. "I thought I already told those other guys my story?"

"Yeah, that you did," O'Neill said, narrowing his eyes. "You came to town, and heard about the cult. And because you're such a nice guy, you tried to find out what was going on; but you got caught sneaking in."

"That's right."

"Well then, Mr. White Knight," O'Neill said, not noticing Harris flinch at the label. "Can you please tell me why you happen to have a sealed government file?"

"I have a what?" Xander asked, shocked.

"Yeah, with some group calling themselves the Initiative," the older man responded. "They sealed up your records, right down to your birth certificate, pretty well. Want to tell me why?"

"You want the truth? Haven't got a clue."

"Yeah, sure you don't," O'Neill said, completely unbelieving.

**Seattle, Washington**

**Two nights later**

Xander sat in the nearly-empty cybercafe, more-or-less killing time. He was checking the news web sites for reports on the cult, but only finding vague stories about it - and how the cult members had all been brainwashed by an old KGB method, that the government felt it was best not to release. (Sounds better than the truth, I suppose... )

The former Sunnydalian had told the Air Force people that he didn't know much about Seth, or where he'd come from. As Xander had instinctively known he had to keep quiet on the visit the cult leader had paid to his cell in the compound, where the guy had revealed a lot of information to him.

The asshole had liked to brag a lot, that was for sure. Looking back on it, Harris suspected that Seth had thought he was just another typical humans- are-at-the-top-of-the-food-chain ignoramus; and it was safe to tell him things that would never be believed, by your typical U.S. citizen.

But then again, he had grown up on a Hellmouth. The Goa'uld parasite had underestimated his familiarity with the world of the weird and impossible, and denial? For Xander Harris, it truly was just a river in Egypt.

The information he had gotten had shocked him. Gateways to other worlds, planets with humans all over the place worshipping guys like Seth as gods...

Xander had given Kimberley his email address, but he doubted he would hear back from her. At least not till the shock of it all wore off, which he didn't think would be soon. Or if she repressed or rationalized the things that just didn't fit into the normal human world-view...

The hard part had been retrieving the two weapons he had hidden in the woods, before he'd tried to get into the house. Another fact the teen had left out of his post-captivity interview.

When Xander had first seen them on the two perimeter guards he'd taken out, he'd known they were some kind of sidearms. But he had no idea how to use them and he didn't want to guess if it came to a fight, so he had taken the pistols they'd carried instead.

He had then hidden the rest of their gear away from the compound. He figured they would come in handy, after Seth had told him all about them...

#Hello?#

"Hey, Giles," Xander said into his cell phone. "Just thought I'd check in."

#Finally! You were supposed to do that a few days ago,# the annoyed Englishman said in that old familiar, wonderful, annoyed tone.

"I know, G-man, I know. But I got held up with something. You guys hear about the cult up in Washington state?" Xander said, as he skimmed CNN's website.

#What? Don't tell me you were involved in that madness!#

"Well, only the tail end of it," Harris told the Watcher with a grin. "I was told how quickly people vanished into it, and kinda thought it might have been demon-related. You know how it is..."

#Ah. Of course. And was it?# came the eager question.

"Nope, it was something else entirely. Something I'm guessing isn't in your books. I'll just say this, Giles, it totally blew my mind when I heard it all," Xander said truthfully.

#By all means, do tell,# Giles then said, sounding a little too eager.

"Not over a cell phone, G-man," Xander said, as he opened his email for the first time in a week. "Besides, I had to sign some stuff saying I would keep quiet about parts of it, or else I wouldn't be a free man at the moment."

#What?! Xander! That doesn't sound very-# Giles began to say.

But a surprised Xander cut him off. "Ack! Sorry, Giles, but I have to go. I'll check back in a day or two!" he said, as he hit the end call button.

The guy had glossed over the typical junk email. That he could increase his penis size by as much as 25 %, get a better mortgage, or better long distance phone service. But what stood out was the email from Cordelia.

Xander had been waiting a while for it; in fact, he'd been getting a little worried. And the subject heading was not easing his worry at all.

From: Formerprincesshotmail.com

Subject: XANDER, OPEN THIS EMAIL RIGHT THE HELL NOW!

_Dear Dorkhead,_

_I know it's a lot earlier than I said it would be, but I've got bad news. The past week here has been worse than the last three years on the Hellmouth!_

_I would have emailed you as soon as it started, but my new older sister like totally forbid me to. She says we can't let anyone know, but then you of all people know how well someone forbidding me to do anything works out!_

_First off; these two are my real flesh and blood. We went and had all the tests done all over again; and there's no more doubts. The Halliwells are my family._

_And for the first three weeks, it went so well. Our grandmother died last year, and it sucks that I never got to meet her, but she left the three of us this great house! And it's huge...I'm talking classic stylish manor here._

_Then on the night of the full moon I got into the attic, and found some musty old book. I just read the first page, and then whammo! It's all gone to hell; and we're barely inching our way through all the crap that's coming at us from all directions. Sorry I can't tell you everything in an email, but lemme put it this way; the details are Sunnydale-worthy._

_Xander, bottom line - I need you here. So get your lame ass to San Francisco, like immediately!_

_And yeah, I know we thought we would have more than a month apart, but I need you here. I need someone I know and trust watching my back! This is way serious, Harris. If accommodation is a problem we have a room you can use, and you can be our live-in handyman or something. You were always fixing stuff around your parents' house; and Lord knows these days, this place needs it!_

_Just hurry, all right?_

_Love, Cordelia_

_1329 Prescott Street, San Francisco_

_P.S. I said move your lame ass, dummy!_

****

Halliwell Manor. San Francisco, California 8 pm the next night

"Any word from your boyfriend yet?"

Cordelia looked at her new sister with annoyance. "I keep telling you, he's not my boyfriend! Anymore."

"Sure, sweetie. Whatever you say," Piper told her younger sister with a laugh.

"How the hell can the two of you be so calm about it all?" their oldest sister Prue scolded them. "You invite this guy to town - no, to live here - without hardly even consulting us, not to mention you want to tell him about everything what's happened! Need I remind you that normal people can get killed, if they're around us?"

"Oh, please! This has got nothing to do with Xander!" Cordelia told her back. "This is about Andy, isn't it? Look, it's not my fault if that cop is too much of a wuss to handle the real world..."

Piper shook her head, still amazed at how out of the three of them - the youngest sister was the only one who hadn't completely freaked out, right from the start. In fact, some of the stories she had related about the town she'd grown up in, made her think the last week had been tame, in comparison...

"You honestly think this Xander guy can handle all the things we'll have to deal with nowadays?" Prue asked, raising her voice.

"Oh, of course he can! He's known about this sort of stuff even longer than I have. And if he's saved the world by stopping a gang of zombies, I think he can handle this!" was Cordelia's quick response.

"Wait," Piper said at once. "Is this more Hellmouth stuff?" she asked her sister.

"That's what I want to know," the fourth dark-haired girl in the room demanded. "There's nothing in the Council records that I read about...that mentions zombies on the Hellmouth..."

"The zombie thing? It's happened twice," Cordelia said, holding up two fingers. "First at a party at the start of senior year, and then during last spring that night when those assholes wanted to set off the bomb that Xander stopped."

"Okay, but how does stopping a bomb save the world?" Prue asked, confused.

Cordelia let out an exasperated sigh. "It was while the Hellmouth was open."

"And that would mean what?" Piper asked her.

"Oh, nothing much," Cordelia said sarcastically. "Just hell on Earth, the whole world sucked into oblivion. Every human being suffering in eternal torment, stuff like that. Just read the bad parts of the Bible, and then multiply them by ten."

"Well, I must say - there is no mention of any of this in Mr. Wyndam- Pryce's diaries!" an older man in the room said, from his position near the window.

"Well, duh!" Cordelia said sarcastically. "Xander only ever told me about it."

"And you just take this boy's word for it, with regards to something as serious as that?" the man asked her, shocked.

Cordelia nodded right away. "Hey, I trust him again nowadays. He says it happened, then it happened."

"With all due respect, Ms. Halliwell," he told Cordy in a supercilious tone, "He should not be trusted. He supported Slayer Summers in going against the Council..."

Cordelia looked at him in anger, before she turned to the Slayer next to him. "Hey, Kennedy, just wondering; but when's your 18th birthday?"

The Slayer cast her a confused look, and the lone male present suddenly stiffened. "In about a year and a half. Why?" the Chosen One asked.

Cordelia kept her gaze on the Watcher. "Why don't you ask your friend here? His bosses already have a party planned for you. It's...tradition," she spat out the last word.

Kennedy looked at Terry Scott, her Watcher. "What does she mean by that?"

The Council operative was spared at that moment by the ringing of the doorbell. "Oh, that must be your boyfriend," Piper told Cordy, as she went to answer it.

"I told you, he's not my boyfriend!" the brunette called out, as Piper left the sunroom.

Prue was going to say something, when she noticed a horrified look come over her newfound sister as Cordy clutched her head. ( What? )

"Piper!" Cordelia yelled, as she ran out of the room.

Piper stopped, with her hand on the handle. "What?" was all she got out, before Cordelia tackled her to the ground.

A mere second, before the upper parts of the door exploded inwards from a fireball.

Glass and wood fragments rained down on the sisters, as two men in way too much leather came charging in. "Kill 'em all!" the leader shouted.

The demons attacked with the belief that they were facing the Charmed Ones, the most powerful witches on this plane. They had to move quickly, or else they wouldn't last. However what they didn't know was that having only just gotten their powers, the three sisters didn't know how to wield them in a fight like this.

Thus, the only people offering any resistance were Cordelia and Kennedy.

Kennedy jumped into the fray, by kicking one of the demons to the ground with Slayer strength. Cordelia just smashed a vase against the other's head. When it just shrugged the blow off, Cordy suddenly wished she had paid more attention when Giles had tried to teach her how to fight...

So with nothing else to lose, the brunette teenager kicked the demon hard in the balls. "Get the hell out of my house!" she shouted.

The demon moaned in pain, as Cordelia congratulated herself. But then it tried to grab her by the...

"Eeew!" she screeched, as the young woman jumped back to where Prue had managed to drag Piper. Very quickly, Kennedy also was tossed into the group.

"Excuse me!" Terry told the demons, as he came up to them. "But this house is protected by the Watchers Council! If you gentlemen know what's good for you-"

The head demon smirked at him. "Ah yes, the mighty Watchers Council..." The other demon dutifully laughed at that.

He went on, "Old men who have inexperienced little girls to fight for them..." The demon raised his hand, as a ball of fire formed in it. Looking at the four women he added, "And here I thought killing you all would be a challenge..."

He wound up to throw it - and stopped dead, as a bolt of blue lightning struck him from behind. The demon then went down in a howl of pain. The fireball extinguished itself, as he fell unconscious to the ground.

As he fell, the Charmed Ones and their Slayer friend saw a young man standing on the outside steps. Xander Harris.

Cordelia felt great relief at the sight of her former squeeze. She didn't know what the hell he was holding in one hand, but he held a sword in the other; which right now was definitely of the good.

Xander fired off a second shot, but the running demon was able to dodge the stream of energy. It charged at the male teenager, knocking him off the porch; also knocking loose both his weapons, as they rolled down the hillside grass, fighting.

After a few moments of fighting, the demon with his vastly superior strength tossed the human boy off of him. Xander flew to the edge of the lawn; his head just missing the top of the concrete wall, that was the divider for the lawn and driveway.

The demon stood slowly, as he watched the boy fly. The witches were the first priority, then the humans...

It got a nasty surprise, however, as the forgotten sword was plunged into its stomach as soon as it turned around. His hands grabbed for the handle, but the brunette girl holding it refused to give an inch as she shoved harder and twisted the blade.

"Will you just die already!?" Cordelia shouted, as the male's eyes locked with hers. She could feel the hatred for her, as the demon fell to his knees.

"You can't stop us all, little girl. We. Will. Kill. You!" it rasped.

"Yeah? Over my dead body, pal!" Xander said, as he came over and took the sword handle from Cordelia. "Now, what the hell exactly are you? And why did you attack them?"

The demon laughed, even as blood poured from its mouth. "You'll get nothing from me, human..."

"Yeah? Well, fine. Then I guess we don't need to keep this conversation going, do we?" he turned to the girl next to him. "Cordy, the other thing I dropped? Go get it, carefully."

She nodded, as she went back to the steps.

"I'll give you one more chance," Xander told him. "Why did you-"

The 18-year-old was cut off, as the demon spit in his face. "Have it your way," Xander said through gritted teeth. He took the device from Cordelia's hands, and spared a quick glance to his companion. "Demon?"

"Demon," she answered.

"Okay then," Xander said, as he pulled out the sword in a single fast move. Then three bright blue flashes brightened the dark night. The demon disintegrated, after it was dead.

And luckily, the neighbors had already learned not to look at what was happening in the kooky house of the street, if they knew what was good for them.

****

"Where did the other one go?" Prue demanded, when they came back in.

Xander ignored her, as he walked over to the other demon on the floor. It now had a battleaxe sticking out its back. He did a slight double take at the teenage girl and the older Englishman. ( Oh, yeah. Slayer and Watcher... ) Xander figured he knew what was the what, but didn't voice his questions at the moment. He simply asked, "Dead?"

"Very dead," the oldest Halliwell told him.

Without a word, the Xandman stepped up and pulled the ax free. Everyone made a sick look at the wet sound it made, coming out. "Stand back," Harris then ordered them all.

"Ah, what are you going to do?" the Watcher demanded as Xander opened fire.

"Destroy the evidence. Don't really feel like burying anyone tonight," Xander told him, as he hit the demon with another blast, then another. The body vanished, as if it had never been there. There wasn't even a mark on the carpet.

"And that's what happened to the other one," Cordelia told Prue, as she set the sword covered in demon blood down.

They all stared as the S-shaped weapon made a strange sound, and folded up in Xander's hand. "Who are you, young man?" Terry demanded to know, with his eyes firmly on the weapon still in the interloper's hands.

Xander looked at Cordelia. "Interesting people you're hanging out with..."

"Hey, not that we're not grateful you showed up," Piper said, as she pressed a cloth to her head to stop the bleeding a glass shard had caused. "But-"

"But, who the hell are you!?" Prue demanded taking over her sister's question.

"Calm down, you guys!" Cordelia said, gesturing wildly. "I told you he was coming. He's Xander, my favorite Sunnydale dork."

"Oh, why thank you, my favorite drama Queen C," Harris told her with a bow and a smirk that matched hers.

Cordy suddenly closed the distance between them, drawing him into a tight hug. "I can't believe I actually missed you," she whispered into his ear.

"Yeah, well, I missed you too, Cor," Xander told her, before they broke the hug. Then he looked over to the remains of the door. "Obviously, I can't leave you alone for a minute, can I?"

"Oh, like this is my fault!?" she moaned.

"Well, those demons didn't try to come kill me!" the guy told her, amused.

"Oh, fine, just get your tool kit or whatever from the trunk. And fix that door, pronto! There's a draft coming in that won't do anything good for my skin complexion," Cordelia ordered him.

"Just like that?" Xander asked her in amazement. "Cordy, honey, that door is almost completely blown apart. And the kind of glass that's left, is not looking very inexpensive..."

"Excuse me!"

They looked back to an agitated Prue. She said, "Hi! Just wanting to know - what the hell is that thing you used to kill those demons with?"

Xander just held it up, "It's called a zat gun," he said with a shrug.

"Zat gun?" Terry inquired. "I have never in all my 40 years seeing anything like that!"

"Yeah, well, that's not a big surprise to me, Watcher guy," Xander told him.

The Englishman looked shocked for a moment. "Watcher? Ah, I mean, I don't know what you're talking-"

"Oh, come on!" Xander moaned. "Young teenage girl, fighting with an old English dude alongside her? There's no point even trying to start spinning the yarn with me, I've known about you people ever since I was 15 years old. Well, at least you don't look as bad as Wesley did..."

"Hey! He wasn't that bad, Harris," Cordelia scolded him.

"Cordy, lemme refresh your memory; we were fighting the hugeass giant demon snake at Graduation, and he got knocked down in the first minute of the fight!" Xander responded, before he suddenly got a semi-sad look in his eyes. "So. I guess Faith didn't last in that coma, huh?"

Cordelia shook her head. "It happened a week ago, from what they tell me."

There was silence for a moment, as Xander contemplated the news. "Okay, I know she went bad and all, but still - to go out like that..." he sighed. "Well, I do have a few tools in the trunk. Guess I should try to do something with what's left of this door," the young man told her, before he went out towards his car parked on the street.

"Yes, well, I-I had best report this to the Council," Terry said, as he headed for the phone in the kitchen with Kennedy right behind him.

"Cordelia Halliwell, I want some answers about your friend - as in right now!" Prue told her sister.

"Well, you can just ask him yourself, he'll be back in a sec..."

"No," Prue said, before she turned to Piper. "Use your power, freeze them."

"Why?"

"Because," Prue told her. "We need more than a minute to talk about this, before he gets whatever he's after out of that car."

"Fine," Piper waved her hands, and everything around them stopped. Cordelia looked at the face of the grandfather clock, as the hands froze in place.

"This is, like, so unnecessary!" she told her sister angrily. "We have nothing to fear from Xander! He's just...Xander!"

"So, your boyfriend normally carries around a sword and a ray gun like that?" Prue asked.

"Well, okay, the ray gun thing is new," Cordelia told her, forgetting to admonish her sibling for once about the misinterpreted boyfriend status. "But swords were pretty much the norm du jour, back in Sunnydale. For our little gang, anyway."

"Look, Cordelia, you hafta understand - we're just new to all this," Piper said, trying to play mediator - as it had always been destined to be. "To you, Terry, Kennedy and even this Xander guy, that sorta stuff is...normal. But to Prue and me, it's not..." Then the middle sister stopped, as she looked in surprise to the door. "How the-"

Cordelia spun, and her mouth dropped open. Xander had walked up with an old blue toolbox. ( He's not frozen? )

As Harris bent down to examine a hinge on the door, he felt them all staring at him. "What?" the guy asked, confused at their stares.

All three sisters looked at him for a moment, before they turned as one to look at the clock that had been in their family for countless years.

Its hands were definitely still frozen in place.


	3. Chapter three

**San Francisco, California.**

On a hunch, after he got tired of waiting for an explanation that wasn't gonna come and just left the three sisters staring at him open-mouthed, Xander started searching the Halliwell garage.

He was hoping to see if there was any plywood or something like that, that they could place over the hole in the front door for the night. His plan was to go to the local trade supply depot in the morning, most likely with Cordelia, and get whatever the girls needed...

Prue had told him that other than putting their two cars in the garage, the sisters hadn't been in it much, and hadn't even tried to clean it out as of yet. So, Xander guessed he was the first person in a long while to notice it.

A tall, flat crate behind the 1960's-style refrigerator, against the rear wall. It seemed to have never been opened.

By the amount of dust on it, Harris guessed that whoever had put it there had never even looked at it again. On the front of the crate was the address for the house - no, the manor, as Cordelia had called it. The date stamp on the crate said 1981.

(You can't be serious,) Xander suddenly thought to himself, as he pulled the thing out a little more. For along the side of it, it was listed what were the contents of the crate.

'Wood door with colored glass window for front foyer'.

"Guess I don't have to go shopping tomorrow after all," Xander said to himself with a shrug, as he looked around for something to lift the crate with. Nearby, on the other side of the fridge in fact, he found a two- wheeled dolly with a crowbar hanging from it. (Perfect!)

****

"Are you saying you think Mr. Harris is a demon?"

"No, that's not what we're saying!" Cordelia told Terry, sounding annoyed. "Xander is just - Xander. I don't know why the time-freeze thingy didn't work on him, but he's not some icky demon! That much I know - for sure!"

"Then a warlock, perhaps?"

Cordelia had to let out a laugh at that. "God, no!" She thought for a moment. "After I tell him what's the what, I'll tell him to call Giles, to see if he can-"

"I'm afraid I can't allow that," Terry said seriously.

"You can't allow that?" Cordelia said perturbed, "YOU can't allow that? Hey, if either Xander or I want to call Giles, then call him we will! You're not the boss of either of us!"

"Ms. Halliwell, Rupert Giles was cast out of the Council for improper activities," Terry insisted, becoming as animated as Cordelia had ever seen him. "As the active Watcher for this group, I cannot allow him to jeopardize any of this with his - his emotional weaknesses!"

"Who is this Giles character?" Piper asked, quickly enough to prevent Cordy from castrating the stuffed shirt.

"He was Buffy's Watcher back in Sunnydale," Cordelia told her. "The Council fired him, after he went against their orders and helped her out of a death trap that they themselves had created to kill her!"

"That's not-" Terry started to protest.

"Am I interrupting something here?"

The group looked back to find Xander in the front doorway. "No," Cordelia told him with a gesture. "Just a difference of opinion."

Xander cast a long look at the Council employee before saying to Kennedy, "Come on, Slay-gal, I need you for a minute."

"For what?" the teenage Slayer asked, a little suspicious.

The former Zeppo rolled his eyes. "Well, I either want to kill you and bury you in the backyard, or I could be needing your abilities with moving something up these steep steps," he said sarcastically. "You are the one with super-strength around here, remember?"

"Fine," the brunette girl said simply, as she went out to join him.

As soon as they both left Cordelia, who'd guessed Xander had heard the entire conversation, grabbed Terry and dragged him into the kitchen.

"Now you listen up, mister!" she told him sternly. "I live here, you don't! And to hell with the high and mighty attitude - I don't care if you are a Watcher or not. I will not have Xander feel uncomfortable here! This is going to be his home too. Are we clear on how things are gonna be?"

"I'm sorry if I upset you, Ms. Halliwell, but-"

"Enough with the Ms. Halliwell crap!" Cordelia said, now even more annoyed. "My name is Cordelia."

"Alright then, Cordelia," he corrected himself. "But please, be reasonable. As active Watcher for Kennedy and you and your sisters, I must keep watch on all unknowns-"

"Hold on just a damn minute right there!" Cordelia said, her eyes going wide. "Back the truck up!" She turned back to her sisters, "Did he go over this with either of you two?" the former princess asked them. "That somehow, we are now under the control of the Watchers Council?"

"First I've heard of it," Piper said honestly.

"Same here, now what's going on? You told me you were Kennedy's Watcher," Prue said, looking suspiciously at the Englishman.

"Yes, but you see, the Council feels that it would be best if I would assume that responsibility for all of you," Terry told them, suddenly getting a bad feeling about this.

"And what if we don't feel the same way?" Cordelia asked accusingly. "Will we get those mercenary guys sent after us?"

"What mercenary guys!?" Prue asked her sister, getting a deep frown on her beautiful face.

"Hear ye, hear ye, listen now one and all to the story of Faith, a former vampire Slayer," Cordelia told her with a mocking tone. "She got into a semi-accident one night and killed a man, thinking he was a vamp. After Wesley reported it, to his later regret, the Council tried to forcibly kidnap her and bring her back to England - for their own brand of so-called justice!"

Off of their surprised faces she added, "And then gee, what a surprise - she got pissed over it, and went completely psycho after that!"

Terry looked at the upset faces around him. "I give you my word, I-I was not aware of that incident. But I can assure you-"

"No, you can't assure me of anything. Because I've had too much exposure to your organization, not to see the Council for what it really is," Cordy said, interrupting him. "Look, you could be a very nice man; I don't know you well enough to say yet. But right now, you could be either another Giles - or someone like that Travers creep! So don't assume we're all under your orders, or the Council's, or you will seriously piss us off.

Comprende?"

"Very well," Terry responded, but it was clear he didn't like it.

The sound of an electric screwdriver made them head back in to the foyer. Xander was undoing the hinges from the frame. (Easy does it...)

"Did you find some wood back there?" Prue asked him.

"Even better," the young man told her, as he pointed outside to the laid- down crate that Kennedy had opened with the crowbar.

"We have a spare door?" Piper asked, surprised. "I knew Grams liked to plan ahead, but that thing doesn't look cheap!"

"From what's written on it, I'd say it was ordered the same time as this one was," Xander said, as he moved the destroyed door off to the side. "It says here they ordered two of them back in '81."

"So, it's been sitting in the garage for almost 20 years?" Prue asked him in astonishment.

"Looks that way to me," Xander answered her with a shrug.

"No, no, that can't be right," the eldest sister declared.

"Why not?" Piper asked her.

"Don't you remember, back when I was in 9th grade?" Prue asked her sibling. "We were playing with that ball on the street, and Andy kicked it straight through the window-"

"Right, right, and Grams made him work it off by mowing the lawn and doing jobs around the house," Piper said with a smile, as she remembered.

"Yeah," Prue added with a nod. "I remember 'cause I used to bring him lemonade, when he would mow the lawn. So why would Grams complain about the price of the window and make him work it off back then, if she had a spare door just sitting in the garage?"

"Maybe this will explain it," Kennedy said, as she pulled something free from the back of the crate after Xander lifted the door out.

"What is it?" Prue asked. "An invoice?"

The Slayer looked at the plain envelope as she spoke, "No, it's a letter."

"To who?" Piper wondered. "Our dad?"

Kennedy turned it around, and the girls all gave startled gasps. Xander, who had heard them as he was getting ready to start the installation, asked without looking, "Well, who's it for?"

The male teenager looked up annoyed, when Cordelia swatted him on the arm. He looked up, and gasped a little himself. "No way!"

The envelope read 'To Alexander Harris'

Minutes later, they were all gathered in the sitting room. "Well, open it dumbass!" Cordelia demanded, as they sat on the short couch.

"Okay, okay, Cor, keep your shirt on!" Xander told her with a grin, before adding, "Or not, I'm good either way..."

The former Queen C quickly smacked him over the back of the head.

"Ah, can't tell ya how much I've missed that, ever since last February!" Xander riposted, rubbing the spot on his head and causing Piper to laugh.

"All righty then," he then said, as the teenager carefully opened the letter. "The letterhead is from some place called Buddies, looks like a burger joint. Date says January, 1981..." He then read the letter silently to himself quickly, and exclaimed, "Great googly-moogly, no way in hell is this possible!"

"What? Oh just gimme that!" Cordelia said impatiently, as she grabbed it from him and began to read aloud.

"Dear Alexander, or Xander as your friend Willow named you.

I hope this letter finds you well, in the year 1999. First, I want to say thank you for looking after our little Phoebe - excuse me, Cordelia, on the Hellmouth. She might not admit it, but she liked having her so-called little doofus around. Second, please; you have to stay, and help protect my granddaughters. I don't know if you'll grow up to believe in destiny or anything like that, but whether or not it's true; my descendants will need you here. If Prue gives you any problems, just tell her I freely invite you to stay in my house as if it were yours. After all, why do you think I had my sewing room upstairs turned into a bedroom? It's a tad small, I know, but it should work for you.

Take care and blessed be,

Penelope Halliwell."

Prue and Piper just stared stunned at each other, as Cordelia abruptly stopped. "Is...is that it?" Piper then asked, shaken.

"Uh, no, th-there's one more thing," Cordelia said, a little shaken.

"Well, what is it?" Prue demanded.

But when all Cordelia did was turn to stare at Xander, and him at her, the eldest sister took the letter. "P.S. Dear Cordelia: don't give up on that boy just yet, sweetheart. Practically all males of the species are scum, true, but you two would give me such beautiful great-grandchildren together."

"This is impossible," Piper got out after a minute of silence. "Cordy, you never even met Grams, so how could she know of you - or Xander?"

"She's right, this doesn't make any sense," Prue agreed. "All the time I was growing up, Mom and Grams were always looking for Phoebe, not Cordelia. I never even heard the name Cordelia at all, till we found you," she told her youngest sister.

"Oh, oh, this is just too much," Piper added, leaning back.

"I know," Cordelia said. "I mean, I have my dead grandmother trying to set me up on dates now?" She looked to Xander. "Okay, how the hell did she know of you, me, or even Willow for God's sake? She even knew my little nickname for you!?"

"You always thought of me as your little doofus?" Xander asked her, with a strange expression.

"Well, I suppose these days I could go with 'boy toy' like Faith," Cordelia responded.

"No, no, that's quite alright; I'm your little doofus here. Plain and simple."

"Damn right you are!" Cordelia snorted, as she poked him in the chest "And don't you forget it!"

"Could you two please cut it out?" Prue asked in exasperation. "Your little back and forth routine is cute and all, but can we just get back to the damn letter?"

"Did your grandmother have some kind of second sight, or something? Be precog enough to see into the future?" Xander asked Prue, as if they were just discussing the weather.

It still freaked Prue out, at how easily the young man and her baby sister were taking things like that in stride. "Not as far as I've heard, but after the last week or so - I honestly don't know anymore!" She got up from her chair, staring at the youth. "First things first. Let's get that door put up."

They drifted back to the foyer, and Xander went back to the door. "Okay, Slayer-"

"My name is Kennedy!" the girl fumed.

"Okay, sorry, Kennedy," Xander shrugged. "You hold it in place, and I'll do the screwing." He looked back, when he heard a snicker. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Cordy told him, the grin growing larger. "But honestly, I'll do the screwing?" She smiled at the guy. "You're just lucky I'm not the queen bitch anymore, or else I would have crucified you with that one!"

Twenty minutes later, Xander was closing the new door. "Huh, that was kinda easy," he said to himself. "Well, the wood on the frame outside will be a little more faded since it's been in the sun for years compared to the door, but other than that - it should work fine," the male teen said to the others.

"What about the lock?" Piper asked. "Are the new keys in the crate still?"

"There were no keys in there," Kennedy told her.

"Then, how are we supposed to get in?" Piper asked in astonishment.

Xander studied it for a moment, before taking a set of keys from the rack by the mirror. "Your grandmother planned ahead for this, so I'm thinkin'-" He inserted the one labeled 'FD'. It slid in, and with a turn the thick bolt shot out the side.

"Guess we don't need to get keys made," Cordelia commented happily.

"Okay, now that that's taken care of," Prue said as she turned to Xander. "You can sleep in the spare room for tonight. But we have to have a family meeting, to decide a few things. And I do mean only family," the brunette Wicca pointed to Piper and Cordelia. "Kennedy, can you please take the crate back to the garage?"

"Yeah, no probs," the Slayer said, as she and her Watcher started picking up the wood.

"I'll just help Xander get his stuff," Cordelia said as she took the guy's arm, pulling him out the door.

"Cordy-" Xander started to ask her, as they reached the sidewalk at the bottom of the steps. "What the hell is all this? Demons attacking - no, trying to kill you? A new Slayer, and Giles the next generation? Your dead grandmother knowing stuff about us?"

The youngest Halliwell leaned against his car, as he put his tools away and pulled out his duffel bag. "It's just all crazy at the moment, I know. Too much happening at once, is all. I'll explain-"

"And what 'time-freeze thingy' didn't work on me?" Xander interrupted, a little put out. "Some kind of spell?"

Cordelia just nodded. "Look, whatever Prue says, I'll still tell you everything. Just...in the morning." She looked him over. "How long did you drive?"

"Uh, 14 hours more or less."

"Straight?" she asked, surprised.

"Hell yeah," Xander answered, as he locked his car with the keychain remote. "Your letter did say to move my lame ass, remember?"

And as the former couple headed back towards the manor, bickering as usual, they failed to spot the young man watching them from across the street.

Well, to be more accurate he had been watching Xander from across the road. Studying, monitoring, maybe even judging the black-haired boy, as if trying to look into his very soul.

As Cordelia and Xander went back inside, the nondescript young man suddenly turned into a swirl of blue-tinged white lights, that streaked upwards and quickly disappeared.

****

Upstairs in the Halliwell manor, Prue pushed open a door. "No one has been in here much at all, in years. It needs a good dusting and airing out-"

"Tomorrow. And I guess it kinda makes sense," Piper said. "We never used this room anymore than we did the attic, but now both are getting used."

Prue looked at her sister sternly as Xander asked, "Why, something wrong with the attic?"

"That's another topic for the morning. Please," Cordelia told him. "And hey, the bathroom is just down the hall, to the right."

"Okay, what time do you three normally wake up?" he asked.

"Why?" Prue asked, a little suspicious.

But Xander just shrugged. "One guy, and three beautiful women? Just wanna know when it'll be safe to use the bathroom, here."

"Don't worry, we've got two and a half bathrooms in this house. That one is all yours," Piper told him with a smile.

"Now you get some sleep, mister!" Cordelia told him, like a mother scolding her child. The women turned to leave the room - but as she was leaving, Cordelia turned back. She went to Xander, and gave him a kiss on cheek. "Good night, you mighty demon slayer you!"

After they did leave and the door was closed, Xander had to laugh when he heard Cordelia yell, "I've told you two a million times before, he is not my boyfriend!"

**The Halliwell Manor. 8:05 am, the next morning**

Xander awoke to a soft purring sound. Opening his eyes, he saw a thin white cat staring at him.

Harris was a little freaked out, when the cat seemed to be really staring him in the eyes. It seemed to be looking for something, something that it obviously found - for its body loosened up, before it crawled over to him. The cat then curled itself up against him and purred, as it rubbed its furry body against the human's.

"I think she likes you!"

He looked up to see Cordelia standing in the doorway, in a pair of pajama pants and a tank top. "Sure, all the femmes just love me," he told her with a smirk.

"Love to date you if they're demons, you mean! I remember the story about that Inca Mummy Girl..." Cordy snapped, as she came in. The woman leaned down to the bed and called the cat, "Kit, come on! I've got your breakfast downstairs-"

The witchy familiar with the triquetra ID tag opened its eyes and took off out the door, as soon as Cordelia was finished talking.

"Don't tell me that cat actually understood you?" Xander said, as he marveled at how fast the feline had moved.

Cordelia just shrugged. "With everything that's been going on lately, it wouldn't surprise me, like at all."

"So, how did the little family meeting go?" Xander then asked her carefully.

Again, Cordy just shrugged. "It was really short; the note from Grams kind of forced Prue's hand. If she wanted you here, then it pretty much ended the debate." Cordelia looked around the room, "So, it's official. You just spent your first night in your new bedroom. Of course, mine is much bigger that yours," the brunette told him with a laugh.

"Of course it is. For now," Xander returned her laugh.

"Come on, dorkhead," the young woman said, as she got up and extended her hand to him. "There are some things I have to show you."

Xander didn't move, "Ah, you mind handing me my pants first?"

She picked the jeans off the chair, and held them up. "These pants?"

"Yes, those pants," Xander said with a scowl, as he tried to reach for them, but his ex-girlfriend pulled them out of his reach. "Oh, come on, Cor!"

"Okay, here you go!" Cordelia tossed them to the other side of the bed. And when he turned to grab them, she grabbed and pulled away the covers.

"Hey!" Xander yelled, as he pulled the sheets back.

Cordelia just cast him an amused grin. "Boxers kind of guy, huh?" she mused. "Always thought so..." He just kept glaring at her, until the girl gave a theatrical sigh and turned around. Xander quickly pulled his pants on, as his former childhood nemesis looked through his bag. "Any Speedos in here?"

"No," Harris told her, as he grabbed the first shirt he could reach. "Left them all back in Sunnydale."

"Damn!" Cordy whispered, as she went into the hallway. "Well, are you coming or what?"

After looking at her strangely for a few seconds, Xander joined her in the hall. "You seem very...perky, this morning."

"I am, aren't I?" the former ruler of the school elite asked, as they went up a small flight of steps to a door. She opened it, and let him go in first. "Welcome to the attic, Xander."

He looked around. "This is pretty damn big for an attic, Cordy. It's big enough for a den, maybe."

"Don't get any ideas. It's already being used for something," Cordy told him, as she pointed past the guy.

Curious, Xander inspected the short, round table. He knew what most of the items on it were right away. "Cordy, this looks a lot like the witch stuff Willow would bring back from her favorite magic shop back in Sunnydale..."

"Yeah, well, that's not all," the former Chase girl told him, as she pointed to a book on a stand, a little bit further into the room.

"Aw, man, don't tell me - yet another old book!?" Xander groaned.

"Don't knock it, Xander!" Cordy said at once. "The information in that book has saved my life twice, so far."

As she'd expected, his head snapped up to look at her. "And what were you doing, that you needed it to save your life?"

"I can't escape the weird things in this world, Harris. Probably, neither can you," she said with a sigh. "We could have moved to Alaska, and still had demon-related crap happen to both of us-"

"Probably. Hey, any idea what this book is..." Xander started to reach out.

"No, don't touch it!" Cordelia yelled at him, causing him to yank his hand back.

"What?" Xander then asked.

"Sorry," the woman apologized. "It's just that, normal mortals aren't allowed to touch the Book of Shadows. It does some weird glowy thing."

"Normal?" Xander said, actually sounding hurt. "God, don't tell me whatever is going on now's made you think that way too..."

Cordelia looked at him, confused for a few moments, before understanding set in. "Oh! No. I'm sorry Xander," she said, as the girl stood next to him. "You should know I don't think that way about you! Now, let's go over to the bench over here." She led him over to the built-in padded bench, in front of the large windows.

"Okay, Cor? What did you mean then, by normal mortal?"

The new witch looked out the window for a second, as she watched a paperboy toss a newspaper into their yard. "I don't know if it's just some special thing, because of the powers or just some old stereotyping..." She took his hand. "Xander, you know I trust you. With my life in fact, but Prue made it one of the conditions. You can't tell anyone else what I'm going to tell you now."

Harris just nodded. "If I can keep all the secrets I have so far, I'm thinkin' I can handle whatever you throw at me."

"Well, it started all well and good," Cordy told him, as she settled down to tell the tale. "It was all hugs and kisses when we got the results back from the DNA tests. From what I learned - uh, I guess I was kidnapped after my birth-"

"What!?" Xander yelled. "Someone kidnapped you? Little baby Cordelia got kidnapped?"

She nodded. "Well, baby Phoebe got kidnapped anyway. From what Prue told me, it caused the rift between my birth parents to go from small to huge, and they eventually divorced..." Cordelia took a deep breath. "Now, here is where it gets weird-"

**Sunnydale, California. One week later**

"Mom?" Buffy Summers called, as she and Willow and Oz came in through the

front door.

"We're in the kitchen, Buffy!" came the older woman's yell.

The group of three walked in, and was a little surprised to see Giles cleaning up a mishap on the counter. "Ah Buffy, was the book right about the demon you went to slay?" the former Watcher asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," she told the British man, as they looked him over. "Look Giles, I hate to say this, but I don't think I can be all reporting to Watcher guy here - not if the Watcher guy is wearing a 'kiss the cook' apron..."

"Don't tease him, Buffy, not now," her mother warned. "Rupert is helping me get dinner ready."

"You don't have to do that, Mrs. Summers," Willow said. "We could have just ordered a pizza."

"Nonsense, Willow!" Joyce told her sharply. "From what I hear nowadays, you kids ate way too much pizza back in that library over the years. You need some healthy food, once in a while."

"Oh, are we expecting anyone else?" Buffy asked her mother, as she counted the number of place settings on the dining room table.

Her question was instantly answered, when the front door opened and closed again. And Xander Harris walked into the kitchen, with a one-gallon jug of milk.

"Xander!" Willow cried, as she went over and hugged him. "I've missed you! Did you see all 50 states? What was this thing about a cult? And, and where are you hurt?"

Xander had to laugh, as she rapidly fired off questions. "I've missed you too, Wills. And no, I only saw two other states. The cult was a bit weird and no, hard as it may be to believe, I wasn't hurt."

"Xander, for God's sake, you shouldn't have gone nosing around some cult like that!" Buffy stated firmly. "Who knows what those weirdos could have done to you?"

"I was fine, Buffy, just for the record," the young man said with a roll of his eyes, not having forgotten his marching orders from the ranks of the Slayerettes a few months ago. "But I do have some things I need to tell all of you."

"Let's all sit down first, Xander," Joyce told him, "and then you can tell us what your big news is."

**Professor Maggie Walsh's office. UC Sunnydale**

"You're not on a date with Ms. Summers tonight, Riley?"

"No, ma'am," her subordinate told her. "Her mother wanted her home for dinner tonight. We have plans to go to a movie tomorrow night, though."

"Very good," Walsh said with a nod. "Has there been any trouble integrating yourself within her group?"

"None," Finn said with a shake of his head. "Most of her friends have already accepted me. Granted, I haven't come up with a reason to ask to meet Mr. Giles as yet; but as soon as I see an opening, I will."

"Good. Because heaven knows we need to bring their group under our purview as soon as possible," the older woman sighed as she thought about it. "To think this Hellmouth has been sitting here, for God only knows how long, with nothing but a pack of teenagers to watch over it! How they survived this long, I will never understand."

**1630 Revello Drive. The same time**

"Wait up, you have a new boyfriend?" Xander asked, very shocked to Buffy.

"Well, I wouldn't call him a boyfriend yet - not really," the blonde Slayer told him uneasily.

"Oh come on, Buffy!" Willow said, from her chair next to Oz. "You guys look so darn cute together!"

"So, this dude is what? Rebound Guy from Angel, or something?" Xander asked her, as he looked down to eat a bite of his mashed potatoes. When no one answered him, Xander looked back up. Both young women were staring at him. "What?"

Buffy looked a little nervous. And the former Research Boy of the gang suddenly knew the only other time she'd ever looked that way, was back when he'd asked her out to Spring Fling in sophomore year.

"I'm sorry, Xander, I know it was sudden and all. But you have to face it. We just wouldn't work out."

"We?" he asked, now completely confused.

"Yeah, as in you and me," Buffy told him sadly. "And hey, that Anya girl was here last week asking about you. You should give her a call!"

"Hold on just a second," Xander said, looking at his two female friends across the table. "You think I was going to try to get together with you? What the hell made you think that?"

The girls exchanged glances. "Well, now that Angel's gone, we just thought..." Willow started, but stopped when Xander burst out laughing. "Okay, how is this funny, Xander Harris?"

"Oh man, I'm sorry Buff - but, uh, I wasn't planning on asking you out. Ever."

"Xander, it's okay," Buffy said to him, trying to be reassuring - but not forgetting how he'd managed to make her send Angel to Hell, either. "You don't have to be embarrassed about it-"

"I'm not," Xander told them, the laughter disappearing. "Seriously, I was not planning to ask you out, as I'm totally not into you anymore. I mean, that ship sailed a long time ago."

"Really?" Buffy asked, half-upset and half-relieved.

"No offense. But hell, yeah!"

Joyce wanted to get away from this topic, since her daughter was now looking very upset. For most of the last month or so, Joyce had heard the two women talk about how they were going to let Xander down gently. And now... "Er, I was wanting to know - what was this other news you talked about earlier, Xander?"

Xander and Giles both looked at her, relieved at the new topic. "Well, it's kind of big news. But I have to ask that you don't tell anyone else any of this. Literally, no one. I had to argue a lot for you guys to even hear it. I mean, lives could depend on this," the youth said.

"Of course, Xander," Giles said, giving him his word. "Does this have to do with that cult business?"

"No," he answered truthfully. "That was some strange stuff, in and of itself that I can't talk about. And it wasn't demon-related. But getting back on-topic - okay, for the last week I've been staying with Cordelia and her family..."

"Cordelia?" Willow asked surprised. "Xander, how's that possible? Her dad's in jail, and she told me that her mom just up and left one night."

"Not that family, Willow."

"As far as I know," Joyce stated in confusion, "She and her parents were the only Chases in town..."

"That they were," Xander said with a sigh. "But you see, there's something that you guys don't know. I learned last year, while we were dating, that Cordelia was adopted."

"What?!" Willow shrieked. "But Xander, we've known her for years! How could she be, um, be..."

"Calm down, Willow!" her former crush said. "Look, she was adopted by the Chases, after she was found as a baby at a church."

"Wow," Oz spoke for the first time. "That's just...wow."

"Yeah. If it had gotten out back when the Chases more or less ran this town - her parents thought it woulda been some big scandal. And for people like Harmony and the others, it darn well would have been! But still, recently the rest of the Chase family found out, and is now shunning her completely."

"My God, that must be so awful for her," Joyce said sympathetically. "After all that unpleasantness with the IRS, and now to have her own relatives not speaking to the girl..."

"But you said you were with her family?" Buffy asked him, still trying to wrap her head around this news.

"Yeah, as luck would have it, her birth family has been looking for her for a long time. And so-"

"Her birth family?" Joyce interrupted, the good woman impatient for details. "Well, I hope they're better people than her adopted one."

"Oh, they are," Xander answered with a smile. "Most of the family lives on the East Coast, but her two older sisters - awesome-looking babes, by the way - live in San Francisco. She moved in with them, into their late grandmother's house."

"While I am happy that Cordelia has found a proper family," Giles said slowly, "how does this news rate a-as life or death?"

Xander took a deep breath before asking. "Giles, does the name Melinda Warren mean anything to you?"

"Oh Good Lord, you can't be serious!" Giles said, as his brain made some intuitive leaps and shock overcame him. "You, you said she'd just found two older sisters?" Xander just nodded. "Oh dear. Oh dear. Oh dear..."

"Giles?" Buffy asked surprised. "Who's Melinda Warren?"

Everyone looked to Giles, as he went into Watcher mode. "Melinda Warren was a witch born in the late 1600's - Halloween 1670, if I recall correctly. She was said to have grown up to have three magical powers, in addition to the normal spellcasting that a witch of her generation could perform."

"Ah, how does a witch who lived so long ago affect Cordelia now?" Joyce wondered.

"Well, sadly as with many witches, good or bad," Giles said, "Melinda was burned alive at the stake back then, during the Salem witch trials..."

"Oh please, don't bring that up!" Buffy exclaimed, uneasy. "Heck, we still haven't found a way to bring Amy back to her human form yet!" With the mention of Amy, Buffy saw Xander's look change to one of seriousness. "What is it?"

"We have to talk about Amy, but later," he told the Slayer. "But you see, before Melinda was burned at the stake, she vowed that each generation of Warren witches would become stronger and stronger, culminating in the arrival of three sisters."

"Wait, wait just a darn minute, Xander!" Willow said suddenly. "You're talking about that legend?"

"What legend, Willow?" Buffy asked her.

Her redheaded friend looked to be in shock. "When the three sisters come together, they would each have one of her powers, and become the most powerful witches of their generation-" She looked to Xander with incredulity. "Are you telling me that Cordelia Chase is a Charmed One!? The fabled three most powerful witches of all time!?"

"Yeah," Xander said with a sigh. "That she is."

"This, this is incredible news Xander," Giles whispered. "Cordelia actually has one of the three powers now?"

"Uh-huh. Her thing is premonitions. I've seen her do it too, at least once."

"Remarkable. Yes, uh, I can see why they would want to keep this information hidden," Giles said, nodding his head and thinking of the possibilities.

"From the general public, yes," Joyce remarked. "But why would them being witches be so secretive?"

"Because," Xander said slowly. "A lot of bad guys want their powers, which means a lot of demons and warlocks are going to try to steal their abilities. Hell, the first night I got there, two demons were trying to kill them."

"What?" Buffy asked, concerned.

"You're not the only one with a destiny anymore, Buffy." Xander told her simply. "The Charmed Ones are the protectors of the innocent, and it's a whole new thing for all of 'em. Cordelia is dealing, it's not been easy - but she's dealing."

"Then why tell us, dear?" Joyce asked him hesitantly. "We wouldn't go telling anyone, of course, but if their lives are at stake-"

"Simple," Xander said, looking around. "The people in this room keep guard over the Hellmouth. It just makes sense for us to keep each other in mind, for just backup alone, if anything apocalypse-y goes down."

"Willow?" Oz asked his girlfriend. "Are you okay?"

"I just - I, I guess I still can't quite believe it," the hacker said, shaking her head. "Cordelia Chase is a Charmed One? It's like being in the major leagues for a witch! Back in high school, she couldn't even help me cast any spells - and now she's a super-witch?"

"Well, Buffy was by her own admission an air headed cheerleader, before she became the Slayer," Xander pointed out.

"Hey!" Buffy shouted, a bit insulted.

Xander smiled, to take the sting out a little. "Sorry Buff, but that is how you described yourself last year to Deadboy - right?"

"Don't worry Xander," Giles said, not letting Buffy fire off the venomous retort, for he was sure she would later regret it. "No one will hear about this from us. For sure, not the blasted Council-"

"Alas, G-man," Xander said with a deep sigh. "But they already know."

"What?!" the Englishman exploded. "Who, who would be daft enough to tell them?"

"I dunno," Xander answered truthfully. "But from what Cordy told me, as soon as they got their powers, Terry and Kennedy suddenly moved into the house across the street."

"Who?" Buffy demanded.

"Terry Scott is a Watcher, English as, and Kennedy is his Slayer."

"Another Slayer?" Buffy and Willow both asked at the same time.

"Best guess is that somehow they knew that the Charmed Ones would be coming into being, and were just waiting for the third sister to show up. Might be a prophecy thing," Xander guessed with a shrug.

"And as soon as Cordelia did," Giles added with a frown, "Faith was officially...retired."

"Of course, it was done in a way that I'm sure we'll never be able to prove was murder," Xander said bitterly. "But are there prophecies about the Charmed Ones that you know of?"

Giles shook his head. "None, to my knowledge. But as you say, it is likely that one of the Council's seers foresaw the event, and the Council were just lying in wait..." He thought for a moment. "From their point of view, it would make sense. Make sure that the Charmed Ones are put under the thumb of the Watchers, as soon as they become witches. Now, before they get any experience of their own-"

"Well, FYI, Terry doesn't seem that bad of a guy," Xander said with a shrug. "But for all we know, he could be playing us."

"What about the Slayer?" Buffy asked. "What about this - Kennedy, you said?"

"Well, she's annoying, as most Slayers often are," Xander told her with another cheeky grin. "But Cordy is kind of warming up to her. They've got the same sorta background, ya see; both grew up very rich, but now have had their lives turned completely upside-down. If it'll help stop the Council from making her jump though hoops on command, then Cordy is all for them being friends. And..." he started but stopped.

"And what?" the blonde Slayer asked.

"Well," Xander said with yet another shrug. "Guess it's nothing important, really. But I think Kennedy, uh, plays for the other team."

"She's a lesbian?" Willow asked, sounding a little too shocked.

Xander just looked at the girl he'd grown up with in surprise. "If it's true, then more power to her. I wouldn't have noticed it at all, except for the fact that I think - she's been hitting on Cordy."

"Oh boy," Buffy said, her eyes wide at that news.

"Look, Cordelia would have come here herself to help explain what happened, in the week or so before I arrived there. But as I said, they had to vanquish two demons. And there'll be others," Xander then said.

"She had to stay and vanquish another demon rather than come with you, then?" Joyce asked, suddenly wondering when exactly she'd become able to say something like that, without thinking first how ridiculous it sounded.

"No," Xander replied. "Her real father showed up this morning. Prue - she's the oldest - thinks it's kind of a bit too convenient that he left them years ago, but shows up now when they got their powers. But Cordy wanted a chance to get to know him." He looked to Giles. "I'll give you all the contact info before I-"

Buffy interrupted him. "Geez, Xander. Cordelia being adopted, a super-witch and there being a new Slayer? Any other bombshells you want to drop on us?"

"Well, now that you mention it..." he told her slowly. "There are two other things. First, Cordelia had her name officially changed. It's Cordelia Halliwell now-"

The ringing of his cell phone interrupted Xander. "Sorry," the male teen said, as he took it out and looked at the screen. "It's the manor's number, must be Cordy. I'll just be a minute-"

"Manor?" Willow asked, shocked yet again. "They have a manor?"

"Yeah," the Xandman said, as he got up. "I'll be right back..." He went through the kitchen and out the back door, before he answered. "Cordy?"

#Yeah, and it's about damn time you picked up!# came his ex-girlfriend's angry voice.

"Sorry, I was in the middle of the big talk with the gang," Xander told her. He listened to her for a few minutes. "Wait, shape-shifting dogs?" the guy then asked.

#Yeah, Prue thinks good old Dad might be working with them to get the Book - hey, you didn't tell them about that, did you?# she asked him.

"No, no, you can tell Prue I'm being a good little boy and not mentioning a certain book!" He then added, "And I'm not going to mention the visit from that Whistler guy, either. Maybe to Giles, but not the others."

#Why not?# Cordy asked.

"How exactly do I bring that up, Cor? Just say, 'oh yeah, the Powers That Be gave us one hugeass bank account for the cause'," Xander smirked. "They're still trying to wrap their heads around the part about you being a witch, already."

#It's your call, Xander,# the witch in question told him. #But it's not like we're rich or anything. It's just money to fix up the manor, when it gets wrecked if a demon attacks.#

"And to help me pay for my whole apprenticeship deal," Harris reminded her.

#I still think that's a waste of time, you know-#

"No it's not," Xander snapped, getting annoyed at having this conversation yet again. "Look, Cordy, I appreciate you and your sisters' faith in me - really, I do. But have you ever tried to rebore the engine of your own car? That manor is practically falling down on top of us here!"

The young man added, "The entire electrical system needs to be rewired. The main chandelier needs to be fixed, all the floorboards need to be replaced, and practically every window in the house needs a re-shimmying too! I'm not good enough yet to do all that professionally. I know it, and more importantly so did Whistler. Why else do you think he gave me that business card?"

#Still...none of us want innocent civilians getting caught in the crossfire here, Xander. And heck - what do you really know about this Leo Wyatt guy, anyway?#

"Just that he's got a good enough rep in the right places, to be able to teach me what I need to learn. Myself, I just wish I knew why those Powers guys thought it was so important for you to go to college."

#Whatever. But with my luck, the San Francisco State University will be full of demons!#

"Probably," Harris laughed back.

#Did you drop the big bomb yet?# Cordelia then asked.

"Nope, that's what I'm going to do when I get off the phone with you," Xander said with a big sigh.

#Okay then, I'll let you go do it. Good luck!#

"Thanks, I'll need it..."

****

"Is Cordelia all right?" Giles asked, as Xander sat back down at the table.

"Yeah. She just wanted to update me on what's been going on," Xander said carefully. The former Slayerette then looked deep in thought for a moment, as he glanced over at Buffy and Willow.

"Xander?" Willow asked. "Are you sure everything's alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just trying to figure out a good way to tell you something," he said.

"Tell me what?" the redhead asked him.

Xander looked down, and ran a hand over the back of his neck. (This is gonna get ugly, is what I'm thinkin'. Shoulda told Giles and Mrs. S privately beforehand, at least that way I might have had someone on my side here...) "I don't know how to sugarcoat it, so I'll just say it straight out. Tomorrow, I'm going to rent a U-haul trailer and load up some stuff Cordy left in storage here-"

"Oh," Willow said, interrupting him. "You're just going to make a quick trip to bring Cordy some of her stuff. Well, why would that be hard to tell us?"

Xander cringed as he said it, "Because...I'm also loading up all of my own stuff as well, on account of the plan is - for me to live in San Francisco, with Cordy and her sisters."

As expected, the two girls' faces showed shock; and then they both erupted with, "You're gonna do WHAT?!"


	4. Chapter four

[A/N: Thanks to the Charmed Scripts Index, for some material used in this fanfic chapter that definitely does not belong to me] I am zipping through the entire first season of Charmed here so it jumps here and there.

**San Francisco, California.**

**October, 1999**

Kennedy the vampire Slayer looked around the bedroom, which was completely full of candles. A bit of soft music was coming through the CD player's speakers, too. She tossed her leather jacket over the far chair, and was about to take off her blouse...when the door opened.

"Oh, don't stop getting undressed on my account!" the new arrival called out.

The Slayer grinned wickedly at the sight of Cordelia Halliwell, in her small Japanese kimono robe. It was tight enough to stay on, but loose enough for Kennedy to tell that her companion had absolutely nothing on underneath. "What about the others?" she asked her fellow brunette.

"Oh, don't worry about them," Cordelia said as she came fully into the room, closing the door behind her. "They're all out for tonight. It's just you and me..." A happy smile appeared on her face. "However will we pass the time?"

"Well, I can sure think of something," Kennedy said, as she took the girl in her arms.

"Yeah, I just bet you can," Cordelia said demurely, as the Slayer laid her down on the bed. "We'll have to see just how long that Slayer endurance can last..."

"Trust me. A very long time," Kennedy said, as she eagerly pulled open the silk robe.

**Halliwell Manor Kitchen.**

**Five minutes later**

Piper looked up from the pile of mail she was looking through this morning, as Cordelia came in. "Taking a break?"

"Yeah. I can't believe some of the stuff in that book," the youngest Halliwell sister replied, as she sipped her coffee. "It almost makes me wish we'd had it back in Sunnydale."

"Almost?" Piper asked her sibling. "Wouldn't one book have been better than the huge piles of them you said you guys had to look through, back then?"

"Yeah," Cordelia replied absently. "But if it'd been back there, then the only way I would have ever seen it would be to pry it from Willow's hands with a crowbar." Her face took on an amused look. "Now that I think of it, that mighta been fun..."

By the tone of her sister's voice Piper guessed, "Xander's still not telling you what those two said to him, I take it?"

Cordelia shook her head. "No, the big dummy thinks I'll call the Hellmouth at once and really bitch at them for it-"

"Which in fact you would," Piper pointed out.

"Well, of course I would!" Cordelia exclaimed. "No one gets to yell at Xander like that, except me!"

With a small laugh, Piper asked, "Where's Kennedy? Still sleeping?"

Cordelia nodded. "Yeah, she's conked out upstairs. I don't know how she thinks she can cover a city this size, with just a single patrol! But judging by the look she had on her face when I checked in on her, she was having one hell of a pleasant dream..."

The two then walked out into the sitting room, where Piper had left the guy called Leo Wyatt - who was now friend and colleague to their house mate, Xander Harris. "See anything?" Piper asked Leo, as the handyman had half his body in the fireplace.

"Uh...well, I think I see...yep. There's definitely something here!" the man's voice called from inside the fireplace.

"Definitely," Piper said to herself, as she stared at his backside.

Cordelia also noticed the sight. "Oh my, Santa, you've changed..."

"He's looking for Kit," Piper told her.

"The cat. Right. Four legs and fur. I remember," Cordelia said, before mouthing to Piper, "Oh my God!"

Leo extracted himself from the fireplace, oblivious to the topic of the ladies' conversation. "Sorry. You know, have you tried the shelter?"

"Yeah," Piper said with a shrug. "Nothing."

"Well," Leo said, wiping his hands on a rag. "She had her collar on, right? With your number on it and everything?"

"A very distinctive collar, actually," Cordelia pointed out.

"Anyway," Piper told him. "Uh, thanks for looking. I'm sure you must be hungry after all that work."

"All what work?" Leo asked in apparent confusion.

Cordelia laughed a tiny bit, as she put her arm around her sister. "Oh, that's just Piper. She's gotta be everyone's mom. Think of her as your mom. I know I do."

Piper pushed off Cordelia's arm. "Isn't she a scream?" she asked with an annoyed look.

In that typically male way, Leo still seemed oblivious to what was really going on. "Well, thanks, um...let me go put up these flyers first, and I'll be right back, okay?"

"That would be great, thanks," Piper said, as Leo picked up the large stack of flyers and made for the front door. Cordelia and Piper watched him leave, or rather watched his ass.

"Oh. Quite possibly the finest butt in the city," Cordelia commented.

"In the state," Piper corrected.

"Maybe in all the land," Cordelia amended.

Piper cast a glance towards her. "I saw him first!"

"Uh-uh!" Cordelia protested.

"Uh-huh," Piper challenged. "And besides, he is much too old for you!"

"He is not! So what if I'm only 18? You know, I happen to prefer older men..." Cordelia snorted.

"Forget it!" Piper persisted. "That would be like if...if...if I went after Xander. How would you like them apples?"

"Ughhh, how many times do I have to repeat myself?" Cordelia called out in exasperation. "Xander is not my boyfriend! I don't think of him like that anymore-"

"Sure, sweetie," Piper said, amused. "You really expect me to believe you, though? I mean, after how you dragged Kennedy along to spy on Xander and that girl he went out with last week..."

"Hey, she was a succubus!" Cordelia flared.

"Which you didn't know, until after you busted in on them!" Piper pointed out. "Maybe I should tell Xander that part of it?"

"Tell me what part of it?" Xander asked, as he walked into the room covered in grime and dirt.

"Never mind!" Cordy snapped, glaring at Piper. She then stared at the young man, "And what the heck happened to you?"

Xander stared at his former classmate. "Leo was checking the downstairs part of the fireplace, while I was on the roof checking the upstairs part. Not fun, I can promise you. So, uh, where is my boss, anyway?"

"He just walked out the front door with the flyers for Kit," Piper said, turning away.

Xander shrugged, and quickly went out in search of Leo. He saw the whitelighter on the street outside the manor and yelled, "Yo, man, wait up!"

The so-called handyman halted and turned around, as his protégé caught up with him. "Any luck?"

Xander shook his head. "Nada. So, what's the plan?"

Suddenly Leo looked up, as he heard a jingling sound from his Elders. Xander saw the look and groaned, "Oh no, not AGAIN?"

The guardian angel looked apologetic and said, "I'm afraid so. Here, you take the flyers and get started - I'll join you as soon as I can." So saying, he dumped the papers into Xander's arms. And quickly vanished in a swirl of white lights, as soon as he made sure there was no one on the street looking.

"Great," Harris grumbled to himself. "He gets to travel around the world, while I get stuck with the grunt work..."

Xander had stumbled onto Leo's secret early on into the apprenticeship. It was just one of those things; the whitelighter had had to instantly orb out to save one of his charges, and the former Sunnydalian had seen him do it. Leo had tried erasing his memory of the event afterwards, with his whitelighter dust...

But for some reason, like with the time-freeze thingy, the stuff just didn't work on the so-called Zeppo.

So with no other choice, Leo had sat down and explained the situation to his friend. And once Harris got over the shock that he was working for a real-life angel - which, given everything else that he had encountered in his relatively short life, hadn't really taken long at all - he decided to help cover for the whitelighter, whenever the girls asked awkward questions.

Xander walked off, and started posting flyers for the missing witch familiar around the neighborhood. He grumbled to himself, "Kit, if you found yourself some mangy tom cat and you're having the time of your nine lives somewhere, I swear you'll regret this..."

**UC Sunnydale, Sunnydale, California.**

**November, 1999**

Riley Finn walked through the empty hall. Most of the students of Stevenson Hall were at a rave party, that was happening on the ground floor of the building. The only people in the dorm rooms right now were the ones already totally drunk; or the couples heading up to their residences to get laid, while their roommates were elsewhere.

He wasn't supposed to meet with Buffy for another hour, but the demon Professor Walsh sent them out to capture had turned out to be an easy grab. (So what the hell, soldier, enjoy your downtime. And at least this beats searching for Hostile 17...)

As he was passing the floor's lounge area, the sound of a vending machine caught his attention. He then stopped, when the soldier saw the room's only occupants in a window's reflection. (Wait a minute...)

The so-called TA only heard a few words, but it was enough to keep him out of sight. Because as far as Riley was concerned, any info he could overhear that would make the Scooby Gang's assimilation to the ranks of the Initiative go faster, could only help.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," he listened to the girl called Willow Rosenberg say.

"I know it's a lot of info to take in about Cordelia, but-" Buffy started.

"No, not that!" Willow told her. "Well, okay, that sucks too, but I mean the soda machine!"

"What about it?" the Buffster asked in confusion. "Two bucks for a can of Coke is a bit steep, I know, but it's like that all over campus. So-"

"No, I mean - don't you remember the vending machine back in high school?" Willow asked her. "I'm just not used to one that, that gives you the exact same item that you actually ask for. It was like playing Russian roulette with the other one!"

"Ah," Buffy said with a smile. "Feeling nostalgic for the good old days?"

"A little," Willow sighed, as she sat next to her best friend on the couch. "I don't know, Buffy - look at us. It's just you, Oz and me now. It's like, like, the entire Scooby gang's broken up! Disintegrated! It's like we've lost our Shaggy, or like - Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd without Daffy Duck, MASH without Klinger-"

"True, but let's keep in mind we weren't going to have Xander as part of the Slayage anymore anyway," the blond reminded her.

"But we didn't want Xander to leave town either, right!? Oh, it is so like him to have taken all that the wrong way," Willow said, worried and annoyed. "We didn't say we were trying to kick him out of our lives, just that we'd be busy with college and slaying vamps. But we would have made time for him!"

"I know. And heck, he could have hung out with Giles," Buffy mused. "He seems to be kind of out of it, being jobless and all these days. Watcher man needs to get a pet, or a hobby, or a girlfriend. Actually, he needs all three!"

Willow inquired, "Did Giles give you any info about Xander at all?"

"No, not much," Buffy told her with a sigh. "He wouldn't tell me everything, because Xander made him promise not to. But hey, they de-ratted Amy, which I guess is of the good. I think she went off to find her dad or something though, wherever he moved to..."

"Well, I would have been able to do it eventually!" Willow pouted.

"Still irked about that, huh?" Buffy asked her with a slight smirk.

"Oh, I'm irked. In fact, I'm big on the irking!" the redhead said vehemently. "It's like Cordelia - she, she's slowly taking everything I had. First I was a Slayerette, then she joins the club. I had a crush on Xander since forever, but one quick flash of her cleavage - and off he goes with her, into the broom closet! But the real topper is that here I am, wanting to go all out for the cause - staying on the Hellmouth after college offers from all over the world, to be the best witch I can be. And then? A few months later, Cordelia is suddenly a Charmed One!" she shook her head. "I'm just waiting for the news that she's converted to Judaism..."

"Just a little jealous, are we?" the Chosen One laughed.

"You don't get it, Buffy," Willow said with conviction. "We've been saving the world for years now; but whenever I talk to anyone that I've found practices the craft, all they ever say is, 'did you hear the rumors that the Charmed Ones have finally come together?'"

The redhead snorted and threw her hands up in the air, because of the absurdity of it all. "And Xander won't even talk to us to let us know what's going on in San Francisco! All Giles ever says is something like, 'oh, Xander informed me that they vanquished a dream demon the other day. I-I-I suppose we should be on the lookout for those too'. Come on!"

Ms. Rosenberg looked at her friend sadly. "Heck, I wouldn't even have that picture of Xander at the Golden Gate Bridge, if I hadn't secretly scanned the one he sent to Giles."

"Ah," Buffy started to look thoughtful. "But hey, wasn't that a picture of Xander and Cordelia, at that bridge tourist spot?"

Willow grinned. "You're talking to someone who coulda been the next Bill Gates here, Buff. Just a few snips here, a crop there and ding, instant bitch remover!"

"Oh, for - remember, Willow, that's the reason right there Xander got so pissed off at my mom's house, back then!" the Slayer pointed out.

"Well, how else am I supposed to think of her, Buffy?" Willow demanded. "I mean, okay, sure we got along there for a while - after she learned what really happens on the Hellmouth, anyway. But I just don't see how Xander can possibly stand to be around her, after the way she made his life hell because of that rebar incident! Honestly, how can Xander handle someone putting him down like that all the time? And making him feel useless or whatever?"

The red-haired Wiccan suddenly looked like she'd had an unpleasant epiphany, and she leaned into Buffy slowly. "There is one reason though, isn't there? You, you don't think they're doing it, do you?"

Buffy shook her head at once. "Nah, no way. I mean, he-he would have told one of us about it if he had slept with her, right?" the blond dismissed the possibility. "Just give it time, Willow. I figure Xander'll be back here before too long. I mean, we are his best friends after all! What can he possibly get from Cordelia, that he couldn't get from us?"

"Knowing Xander? Sex," Willow answered, with a funny expression. "Knowing Cordelia? Excellent blow-"

"Willow!" Buffy screeched, horrified at the sudden visuals.

Riley sunk back into the stairwell. Once he was out of the sight of the duo and out of Stevenson Hall, he pulled out his cell phone. "This is Agent Finn. Put me through to Research."

He waited about ten seconds for the connection. "Hey Craig, it's Riley. Yeah man, I'm good. I just need you to track down some info for me. The names Cordelia Doe, female and Xander Doe, male, I think his last name starts with an H, but I'm not sure."

Finn listened for a moment, "Yeah, I think they went to high school with Summers and Rosenberg. Try looking in San Francisco. Oh, and this last thing might be a bit harder. Something called a Charmed One, it's what they called that Cordelia chick-"

"Riley!"

The Iowan turned around, when he heard his name called, and saw Buffy and Willow come out of the building. "Okay then Craig, I hope you have fun with that. Later," he said into the phone, when the two women came within earshot.

"Hey!" Buffy said happily, as she gave her boyfriend a quick kiss. "Planning a kegger?" she then asked, as he clipped the phone back to his belt.

"No, a friend of mine has to write a five-page report for senior English by Friday. Needed some pointers."

"That's another thing I miss, Buffy," Willow complained, as the trio started to walk. "Having him come to me, needing help with his homework!"

"Who's him?" Riley asked innocently.

"Oh, just a high school friend of ours named Xander Harris," Buffy told him. Then she turned around, "Don't worry, Willow. I'll betcha by now Xander and Cordelia are getting to the point of being ready to kill each other-"

**San Francisco, California.**

**The same time**

"I am so going to kill you for this, Xander Harris!"

"What's that, Cordy?" the man in question shouted, amused. "No, never mind! You wanted to go first, right?"

A panicked look came over her. "Don't you even joke about that, mister!" she shrieked. "I still don't know how the hell you ever talked me into this!"

The young carpenter was close enough to grab ahold of her shoulders, to stop her slight shaking. "You got nothing to be afraid of, Cor. Just ask Bob here."

She looked back to the older man she was attached to. (As if I'm gonna trust him!)

"He's right, you have nothing to worry about!" the man told her over the noise.

The Charmed One looked unconvinced, and sent one last death glare to Xander. "If I die, I am soo going to kill you for this, you dorkhead!"

"Okay, it's time!" the man Xander was attached to called out, as a green light came on next to the open door.

Xander gave Cordy a reassuring smile, as she quickly made the sign of the cross over herself. Ms. Halliwell then looked back, and nodded to the man she was connected to.

Xander just wished he could have heard the swear words Cordelia screamed, but as the former class clown and his partner jumped out of the plane at 15,000 feet, he started swearing enough on his own.

Several minutes later, Xander and his instructor landed about ten feet from the target area. As he separated himself and went over to check on Cordelia, he could tell her mood had changed drastically.

"That was fantastic, Xander!" Ms. Halliwell yelled, as she grabbed him into a big hug.

"So, you're not going to kill me after all?" he asked teasingly.

"Oh yeah, God, that was fantastic!" she gushed, ignoring his question. "I can't wait to see the tape!"

"So, then, I take it you didn't squeeze your eyes shut the entire time?" Xander asked, as he removed his headgear.

"Nope, she kept them open all the way down, I think," Bob said as he came up.

"It was just such a rush, Xander!" Cordelia said, still excited. "I mean, it was even better than sex!"

Bob just laughed at that. "Not the first time I've heard that line. Come on, it'll only take a minute for them to transfer your videos to VHS."

As they walked back to the tent on the airfield, Cordelia came down enough from her adrenaline high to see a puzzled expression on Xander's face. "Something wrong?" she asked him.

"Oh no, nothing. And I, uh, guess it's really not my place to ask anymore-" the black-haired male teenager said, before his ex stopped him.

"Your place to ask what?" Cordelia demanded.

"Well..." he trailed off.

"Out with it, Xander!" she ordered imperiously, a trace of the old Cordelia Chase manifesting itself.

"It's just-" he started hesitantly. "Back there you just said it was better than sex, but unless you had a more interesting month last summer than you told me, then-"

Cordy just waved him off. "Drop that line of thought right now, you pervert!" she told him with a grin. "It's just an expression. Now if I had said it was better than chocolate, then you woulda had a right to be worried!" She pulled him after Bob, "Now come on, I want to see your lame ass screaming on video."

"Hey, I don't scream!" he protested. Then Xander amended sheepishly, "It's more of a manly shriek..."

**Apartment B, 523 Oak Park Street, Sunnydale.**

**Later that evening**

Giles paced his home, with the cordless phone in his hand. "Yes, I understand that it's four in the morning there, and I am sorry to be calling at such an ungodly hour. But I do need to locate your employer, at once."

The former Watcher stopped, as he heard the reply from the other end. "Antarctica? Well, then...would you happen to know when he's planning on coming back, from his so-called vacation?"

**Halliwell Manor solarium, San Francisco, California.**

**The next day**

Cordelia sat by herself on the whicker loveseat. Her legs were pulled up close to her chest, as she stared blankly at the picture in her hand. She had been doing nothing else, for the last twenty minutes.

"Hey there, little sis. Whatcha doing?"

Cordelia looked up at the sound of Piper's voice, to see her two older sisters come in the room slowly. Piper sat next to her, while Prue sat in the chair. "Something wrong with that picture?"

"No," Cordy said quietly, as she handed it over to her sibling.

"You and Xander went to a high school Prom, huh?" the middle sister asked teasingly, after she took a look and passed it on to Prue.

"Two of them, although we weren't together anymore for Senior Prom," Cordelia answered. "The one in that picture was about in the middle of our dating period."

"What happened to his arm?" Prue asked, not knowing about the vampire attack in the SHS library during the May of 1998.

"Oh, just the norm for Sunnydale. A bunch of vamps attacked us during a research session; one of 'em snapped his arm while they were fighting," Cordelia told them.

"Ouch. Okay, 'fess up. Why are you looking at this so intently now?" Piper wondered.

Cordelia let out a big sigh, before she leaned against the back of the loveseat. She mulled it over in her head for a few moments before the female teenager spoke again, "Look, I'm still new to this whole sisters-sharing-everything deal. So if I tell you guys something, something big, do we pinky-swear not to tell it to anyone else or what?"

"Did something happen between you and Xander, before he left today to work on that site with Leo?" Prue asked her in sudden concern.

"No, something happened after we went skydiving yesterday." Cordelia looked at each of them before saying, "I've got to tell someone about this, or else I swear I'm going to go nuts. But before I say anything...Xander can never, and I mean never know this, okay? Ever."

At both older sisters' nods, Cordelia asked, "You swear on your powers?"

"We swear already," Prue said in mild exasperation. "Whatever you tell us, Xander will never hear."

"Okay then," Cordy said. "How much have I told you about the breakup of Xander and me, during our senior year?"

"Just that you caught him making out with another girl, and you got hurt by a crowbar or something while running away," Piper said at once, as she vaguely recalled the past conversation.

"Right. Well, long story short, I made his life a living hell after we broke up," Cordelia told them with blunt honesty. "There were football players asking me if I wanted them to beat him up, after he cheated on me. And if it had just been the Willow fluke, I would have told them to go nuts, but-"

"But what, sweetie?" Piper asked.

Cordelia reached over, and took the photo from the table. She looked at it as she said, "The thing that Xander can never know is that...I cheated on him first."

"You're kidding me, right?!" Prue said, shocked. "How could you? You told us that it was hell for you, after you two broke up-"

"It was," Cordelia said honestly.

"Yeah, but how could it have been if you cheated on him first?" the oldest of the three asked again, confused.

"It wasn't - it wasn't something I'd planned to happen," Cordelia said with a dead, hollow voice. "Before the Chase family self-destructed, see, we always spent the summer out of the country. After junior year, we spent it at the Las Palmas resort in Mexico. Oh, it was so wonderful there," Cordy told her sisters with a brief smile. "Well, at least for the first two weeks anyway..."

**Flashback**

**Las Palmas Resort, Mexico.**

**Friday, June 12th 1998**

Cordelia Chase was doing something she never did back in Sunnydale. She was getting drunk.

This was the second time she had decided to drink alcohol, ever since she'd come to this place with her adopted parents. She hardly ever drank, but after what had happened the previous night - she just wanted to get plastered.

For Ms. Chase had cheated on her boyfriend. (I cheated on Xander!!) a mocking voice screamed in her head.

True, it wasn't entirely her fault, at least not as far as she remembered. But that didn't take the anger she felt towards herself away. The booze was starting to, though.

Cordelia had been stupid enough to drink at a party the night before. She had been hanging out with the other kids of the rich and pretty; and all of them were mostly brain-dead. Perfect clones of Harmony Kendall, at least on the inside - where it mattered.

Cordy hadn't paid much attention to the way that guy Ted had been hitting on her the entire day. Because hell, boys always hit on her; it was just part of her everyday life.

The brunette cheerleader still had that bitter taste of bile in her mouth though, when she thought about where she had woken up the next morning. In Ted's bed, buck ass naked! She had lost her virginity to an idiot she barely even knew, and not to the guy who she had been dating for almost the entire previous school year.

Cordelia groaned again at the thought that most of her boyfriends lasted only a month or so. (I knew I should have had sex with Xander, back when mom and dad were out of town last April!)

Well, the young woman knew she couldn't accuse Ted of rape. From what she remembered, Ted had been just as wasted as she'd been. And the guy's first reaction to finding out they had slept together was to grin at her and simply utter the word, "Cool."

Exactly what every girl wants to hear after giving it up while drunk, to be sure.

After Cordy had gotten over the revolting part of it, she had ordered him to keep silent about it if he didn't want her to castrate him. But knowing guys as well as she did, Ms. Chase didn't think for a minute that he would.

She had seen him later in the day taking a picture of her with some kind of camera phone; he wasn't exactly good at hiding it. And her blood had boiled when his older sister had told her Ted was chatting on AOL, telling some story about scoring with a southern California surfie chick to his friends back home.

Thank God the moron lived in Texas; if it had been Sunnydale, the rumors would have been all over town before she could have ever even talked about it to Xander.

So the young woman had kicked him in the balls, and decided to get drunk. Cordelia had then thought the vacation couldn't possibly get any worse; but then, she had to overhear her parents talking in their room.

"What do you mean, our daughter had sex with him?" her father asked her mother, shocked.

The woman that had paid other people to raise her child said simply, "You didn't see how drunk they were all getting at that party, dear."

His next question about any possible STD's was waved off as well. "Oh please, Jules," his wife said. "Do you really think the son of the richest family in Dallas would have a case of mono or herpes?! And don't worry, Cordelia's on the pill. A mother knows. That's why I let it happen."

"You let it happen?!" Mr. Chase asked, stunned. "How could you do that?"

"It wasn't that hard a call to make, dear," Catherine Chase said simply. "After all, that boy has a future, and what do you think that idiot Xander back in Sunnydale has? And besides, you did say you wanted to make a connection with their family, didn't you?"

"Yes, but not like this!" the man told his significant other. "She's our daughter, and to just...just give her to a-"

"A what?" his wife challenged. "A rich and socially acceptable young man, who's the captain of his private school's rowing team? And a shoo-in for Harvard?" She looked at him sternly. "Honey, I heard he's in place for a position in the Skulls, when he goes there. The Skulls and Bones, think of it! And if Cordelia is there with him, think of the opportunities she'll have as well. Then weigh all that up against a life as a barefoot pregnant woman making dinner for that idiot Harris, after he comes home from working at an auto repair shop all day!" she just shrugged.

Jules Chase still looked very conflicted, but slowly nodded. "I see what you mean..."

"Of course you do. After all, a mother and father have to look out for their baby girl!"

**End Flashback**

"Wow," was all Prue could say in shock and horror.

"Your mother went that far to make sure you dumped Xander?" Piper asked, dumbfounded. "I couldn't even imagine doing that to my kid..."

"I know," Cordelia said sadly, as she pulled her knees up to her chin again. "Piper, the thing is she always tried to set me up with the richest asshole she could find. I really don't think it would have mattered, if the guy had turned out to be a wife-beater or whatever. Just as long as he was rich."

"But you guys were already rich in your right," Prue said in confusion. "Why would she worry about that at all?"

"I can't be sure, but I think this was when they started to get wind of the IRS thing," Cordelia told her. "If I was married off to some rich guy, and never mind that I was only 17 years old then, they could have mooched off me and Ted or whoever. Makes sense, anyway."

"But still, to whore your own daughter that way?" Piper said, sickened.

Cordelia closed her eyes at the word 'whore'. "That's what I felt like, at least a bit. My mom tried to push the two of us together so hard, for the rest of the vacation..."

She looked at their still-unbelieving faces. "I know it's very hard to believe that she did that to me. But she did. The hard part was I had to keep it bottled up for a very long time. Just the feelings about it kind of messed up the reunion I had with Xander, at the start of senior year. It took us a while, before we got back to pawing each other in public."

Piper looked at her, dismayed. "You mean to tell us, that this is the first time you told anyone about this?!"

"Well, who could I have told?" Cordelia challenged her. "Harmony and the other sheep would have had a field day with that crap. Buffy and Willow? Hell no, they would have convinced Xander to dump me at once..."

She paused for a moment. "After a while, I just took to the guy like a lifeline. I don't think there was a day that passed, that we didn't make out at least once. After the thing with that rebar...if I hadn't fallen through that floor, I might have talked to him when he came with flowers to see me afterwards. But what the hell, it was only after I found out that he'd never screwed Willow that we really started talking again!"

"Maybe you should tell him now?" Prue suggested.

"Oh no, no way in hell!" Cordy stated. Her sisters watched as she became even more emotional, "I have Xander back now. He's my best friend these days, and I can't...I won't do anything to jeopardize that. I need him too much." She then spoke softly, "He's the only thing from my former life that I still want to hold onto."

**Five weeks later**

"Leo!"

Xander called the name out again for the third time, before the whitelighter appeared in all his effulgent glory within the sitting room. "At last! Where were ya, boss? Togo? Uzbekistan? Some place a little less tourist-y?"

"Madrid, actually," the older male said, as he looked around to make sure no one else had seen his entrance. But quickly Mr. Wyatt got more interested in the destruction of some of the room, and the demonic figure tied to the kitchen chair in the center of the sitting room.

"Xander!" he said, slightly shocked. "What the hell happened here?"

The teenager pointed one of his zat guns at the demon tied to the chair. "Tall, dark and scaly over here decided to drop in for a visit. And I was just falling asleep, when I saw its reflection in the TV screen..."

"You're hurt," Leo told him, as he moved to examine Xander's right shoulder that was covered in dried blood.

The former butt-monkey of the Scooby gang waved that off. "I'll be fine. It's what this guy told me, that we have to worry about!"

Leo looked at him, and then the unconscious demon in confusion. "Xander, if I'm not mistaken - that's a Rator demon. How could you have captured it, let alone interrogated it, before it teleported out?"

Xander pointed to the floor, and only then did Leo notice it. A line of salt went all around the demon in a circle. The whitelighter guessed that the burn marks on the demon's face and upper body had also been inflicted by salt.

"How did you know how to do this?" the guardian angel demanded. "Xander, the fact that Rator demons can't handle salt is not exactly well known-"

Xander just tilted his head. "For three years I read and reread a whole bunch of Giles' books looking for one thing or another, pal. You read something over and over enough times, and some of it sticks. Point is after I used some salt to 'persuade' it to talk, our boy here told me a real wonderful story."

"I'm not going to like this, am I?"

"No you're not," Xander told him. "Bottom line, some government military programme out of Sunnydale sent it to capture our three girls."

"What the hell for?" Leo demanded, not liking the implications at all.

"Some sort of experiments," Xander said, screwing his face up in disgust. "It didn't sound pleasant at all. Better go find out what your bosses have to say about this, and see if there's something we can do to put a lid on it. Since this one won't be reporting back to Sunnydale HQ, my guess is that they won't hesitate to send another one to try again."

Leo was about to vanish upwards, but then stopped. "Xander," he said slowly. "The burn marks on its face and body. How exactly did you get it to talk?"

The teen sent him a cold stare. "You're an angel. You really don't want to know."

"Xander..." Leo pressed.

But the boy just shook his head. "Maybe someday I'll tell you. But not today. Deal with it, boss man."

Harris watched the whitelighter then disappear in an array of white lights, before he pressed the stud that caused the zat ni'katel weapon to spring into firing position. "Time for you to die. 'Cause you don't come into my house and try to kidnap my friends, asshole!"

With those words, he fired twice at the demon. Xander then went to put the zat gun back in its hiding place, but stopped as he turned back to the empty spot with a sour look. "Ah, damn it! Now I have to buy the girls a new chair. And I don't even know where they bought that set!" he just sighed. "Okay, note to self. Don't vaporize the furniture next time..."

An hour and a half later, the three Charmed Ones backed Prue's car into the driveway. "God!" Cordelia muttered as they got out. "That movie completely and utterly sucked!"

"Hey," Prue told her sister. "You picked it out!"

"Well, yeah, but I expected it to at least have-" Cordelia trailed off, as they came around the front to the door.

"What is it?" Piper asked.

Cordy pointed to the street. "Xander's car is gone. I thought he was just going to stay in tonight?"

Prue just shrugged. "He said earlier that he was going to get some groceries. It's his turn to go shopping this week, after all."

"Damn it," Cordelia swore. "He better get me my cereal!"

"Don't you mean his cereal?" Piper asked cynically, as she turned the key. "Just because you always eat his food-" she trailed off, as she was the first one in the door. "What in the world-?!"

"What?" Prue and Cordelia both demanded, as they came charging in.

The foyer was covered in debris. From the looks of it, something had crashed through the glass doors to the sitting room.

"What the hell happened in here?" Cordelia shouted, as she saw the rips in the couch's padding and the smashed coffee table.

"Eww!" Prue said, as she held up a cushion from the floor covered in green slime.

"Prue! Cordelia!" Piper yelled from the dinning room.

The two sisters came running in "What is it?" Prue asked hurriedly.

"Oh my God!" Cordelia cried, as she covered her mouth. Piper was holding up one of Xander's Hawaiian shirts. The one he had been wearing that night, and its shoulder had a large rip and red bloodstain on it.

"Xander!" she called out, panicked. "Xander!?"

Prue tried to calm her sister. "It's okay, Cordy, I'm sure he's fine-"

"We don't know that for sure!" the youngest of the trio declared aggressively.

"His car is gone," Piper pointed out. "Maybe he drove himself to the hospital?"

She pulled out her cell phone, and hit Xander's number on speed dial. All three looked around, as a tune that sounded like the Imperial March from 'Star Wars' went off in the sitting room.

Cordelia followed it, and bent down to pull out her best friend's cell phone from under the couch. "You stupid dweeb! All of the times to forget your damn phone!" she raged in disbelief.

**Emergency waiting room, Rose Heart Hospital, San Francisco.**

**Twenty minutes later**

The three Halliwell sisters burst into the room, causing more than a few heads to look up. "Do you see him anywhere?" Cordelia asked, as she scanned the large waiting room.

Prue went to the registration window and was about to ask questions, when the woman just handed her a form with a bored look on her face. "Please fill this out and make sure-"

"We're not hurt. Has an 18-year-old guy come in here within the last three hours? He's about 5'11, dark hair with an injury to his shoulder-"

The woman just shook her head. "I wouldn't know, sorry. I just came on shift twenty minutes ago."

Piper grabbed her from behind. "Hey, look!"

The two other sisters looked and saw Xander coming out of one of the exam rooms, talking to a doctor. They ran over, as the doc went back through the doors and nearly bowled the young man over.

"Xander!" Cordelia cried, relieved as she hugged him.

"Aggh!" Xander shouted, flinching in pain. "Not too tight there Cor, please."

"Sorry!" the witch said, as she let go. "But you had me worried, you doofus!"

He tossed her a smile. "You know you can't get rid of me that easily-"

"Knock it off, Harris!" Cordelia told him sternly. "I was honestly worried about your lame ass. And that's no laughing matter."

"Well, sorry," the boy told her, as the foursome went out the main doors.

"Wild guess, it was a demon?" Prue asked.

"Oh yeah," Xander told the three sisters, as they crossed the parking lot. "I'm just lucky I saw its reflection on the TV. Another second later, and there would be two of me here."

"Well, the manor looks like a WWF match took place," Piper commented.

"I know, don't worry - Leo and I will get started on the repairs, first thing in the morning. Uh, assuming the boss is in a good mood," Xander said hurriedly, covering for the whitelighter as always. "And if you're worried about the zat gun, don't be. I hid it in the secret compartment I made in the end table."

"You have one hidden in the sitting room nowadays?" Prue asked. "Since when?"

"A few nights ago," Harris answered her. "The bad guys seem to always attack downstairs, and call me dumb if you want - but it just doesn't pay, having to run upstairs to find one."

"How's your shoulder?" Cordelia asked, still worried. Her sisters smiled at her mother hen act, out of sight of the two teenagers.

"Eh, it'll be okay. The doc took a few X-rays and stuff, the demon didn't hit bone; it was just a clean stab from the thing's exoskeleton." He gave her a reassuring look, "Relax. Just give me a few days, and I'll be as good as new."

"What did you tell them happened?" Prue wanted to know.

"Well," Xander said, looking back at the hospital in amusement. "I told them I accidentally wandered into a lawn darts game gone horribly wrong..."

**Initiative Records room, Sunnydale, California.**

**Two days later**

Professor Maggie Walsh looked with outrage, at what she had walked in on. She had come in to pick up some empty T-5 forms, but instead she found her men going through her files.

"What is the meaning of this!?" the 40-year-old woman instantly demanded.

"We're just following our orders, Professor," Agent Graham Miller told her quickly.

Maggie went up to him, with a murderous look on her face. "Agent Miller, I am the senior officer in charge at this base. And at no time did I tell you to go through my private files!"

"Yes, you didn't," a voice said from the doorway. "But I did."

Walsh spun around in surprise. "Mr. Ward!" she said in shock. "I had no idea you were coming-"

The man in the expensive suit ordered the men back to work and told Walsh, "Walk with me, Maggie. And this is not a suggestion."

The blonde woman had no choice but to follow him, as they walked up to the railing of the large pit used for operations. (What are you up to, Mr. Director?)

"Maggie, I want to make at least one thing clear," the old man told her, as if reading her mind. "You are not a military officer, you're a civilian researcher. Do not assume you have rank other than what I've given you, for the duration of this project."

Knowing better than to get upset at her current employer she asked, "I don't understand what's going on, sir. If you'd care to enlighten me-?"

"You stepped over the line this time, Walsh, and you know it," Ward told her bluntly.

"Sir, I don't-"

"Save it, Maggie," Mr. Ward said coldly. "Now tell me if you will, what the mission objectives of this project are."

Still unsure of what had gotten him upset with her, Walsh stated the objectives from the mission statement. "To determine if the Hostile and Non-Hostile Sub-Terrestrials can be harnessed for military purposes, and secondarily to protect the citizens of this town from the hostiles - insofar as is compatible with the primary objective."

"Correct, Maggie, you get a gold star!" Ward said bitterly. "Now, will you please tell me what in God's name made you send a captured demon, to abduct civilians from San Francisco?" he demanded in no uncertain terms.

Walsh kept her face calm. "Sir, we had intelligence that they are very dangerous witches; and I felt they could be useful in the 314 project-"

The Director groaned. "That's always been your problem, Maggie. You automatically think anything supernatural has to be evil!"

"Sir?"

"I personally read the report filed by Agent Finn," Ward told her. "At no point did he say anything about them being dangerous, from what he overheard - other than one of his informants not liking one of the three sisters. And Maggie, don't think for a second that this is the only program that we have that deals with the paranormal."

"Mr. Ward-"

"Damn it, woman, but I got my ass chewed out by the Joint Chiefs for two hours straight yesterday, because you sent out a demon for an unauthorized kidnapping of American citizens, on American soil! And not only did it fail in its attack, but a civilian that fought your little Frankenstein had to be treated for injuries at a public hospital! We're just damn lucky he didn't bring the whole shebang out into the open on the six o'clock news, two nights ago!"

He gave her a harsh glare. "Now, would you like to tell me why the hell you went outside your engagement zone to attack what everyone tells me are supposed to be the biggest good witches alive!?"

"Sir, I didn't mean any-" she started but was cut off.

"Any what? Any harm? Maggie, this is strike one. And in this ball game, there's no strike three; if you cause another fuckup like this, you and the entire project will be terminated! Do you understand me?"

"Mr. Ward!" Walsh exclaimed. "There's no need for threats-"

"Well, pardon my bluntness - but I feel the need for just that, Professor," the white-haired man told her. "I'm confiscating your files. Every bit of info you have on those people in San Francisco is to be destroyed. There will be nothing for a Senate inquiry to find, is that clear? Paper and computer records, all of it. And trust me Maggie, if I find out you've so much as even researched the Charmed Ones again, then you will not like the consequences of your actions. Are we on the same page here?"

"Yes, sir," she responded sourly.

"Good!" The Director of the Initiative said, before he stalked off back to the Records room.

Walsh was fuming, when Dr. Angleman came up from the Pit. "You heard?" she asked with a snarl.

Dr. Angleman just nodded, as he watched the retreating form of Mr. Ward. "I guess we're going to have to put some of our plans on hold, then..."

"No," Walsh stated. "We can't risk dealing with the witches for now, granted; I will not risk jeopardizing Adam. But once he's operational, we can make up for lost time with those three, and to hell with that idiot's orders!"

Sunnydale Motor Lodge.

An hour later

Leo and Xander orbed into Room 121, to find a demon waiting for them. "You got all the files?" Xander asked.

"Sure thing, bud," the demon told them.

"Good work Benny," Leo told him, even though as a whitelighter he was not allowed to work with demons. Luckily, he had Xander to get around that particular rule though, to safeguard his charges...

"Oh please," the demon smiled, before it shape-shifted into a human being and the voice changed. "Call me Mr. Ward."

Xander was unimpressed as he picked up the files, "You're sure this is everything?"

"Oh yeah, it's every single thing they had," Benny told him, as he reverted to his true form again. "Trust me, those solider boys would have jumped off of a bridge if I'd told them to do it."

"What about Walsh?" Leo asked. "Did she buy it?"

"Yeah, she bought it alright," Benny said, as he quickly counted the money Xander handed him. "She was looking very pissed off, but struggling not to show it."

Leo was still a little nervous about the scam. "What if she checks on this, with her superiors in Washington?"

Xander shook his head. "No chance. What do you think she's going to do? Call up her boss and say, 'hey, remember the time you chewed my ass out on account of I screwed up?' She won't say another word, and just lay it on real thick whenever she talks to the guy from now on. It's either this way, or we go head to head with the government; and we can't afford the exposure here..."

**San Francisco, California.**

**A few minutes later**

Joyce Summers looked around in shock, when she opened up her eyes. A moment ago, she'd been in her bed in her two-storey house. Now she was in a closed and darkened restaurant.

"Don't be afraid here, Mrs. S."

She spun at the voice. "Xander!" she exclaimed, relieved. "Thank God, I almost had a heart attack. Where are we?"

"You're in San Fran," he told her simply.

"But that's impossible, Xander..." Joyce responded in disbelief. "I was just in my bed..."

"I know you were. It's a magic thing," Xander said, as he pulled out an envelope. "Look, this is very important; I need you to give this to Giles, and only Giles."

"I see; but, uh, why can't you just mail it to him?" the older woman asked, clearly confused. "Better yet, why don't you come visit in person? Buffy and Willow want to see you again, dear-"

"Because his mail, phone, and home may be bugged. And yours may be as well," Xander felt he had to ignore the rest for now.

"What? Xander, who on earth would be spying on us?"

"A not-so-friendly part of the government that's in Sunnydale," Xander said sourly. "Look, please, just give him that letter and make sure you don't tell anyone about it. Not even Buffy or Willow." He cut off her incoming question, "It's all explained in the letter. Just get it to him."

"I will, Xander," the middle-aged mom told him firmly. "I don't understand any of this, but if it's that important - I will."

"Thanks, Mrs. S," Xander said gratefully, before he took a step back. "Leo!"

Joyce had no time to ask before she was blinded by white lights, she felt light-headed and was suddenly back standing in her darkened bedroom, still clutching the letter.

**San Francisco State University.**

**Two weeks later**

Cordelia was walking to her car, after hanging out with a few friends at their dorm room in Mary Ward Hall. It was fun, just bonding over a few pints of ice cream and some rented DVD's.

The Charmed One enjoyed having real friends nowadays, that didn't seem to care what she wore or what her personal history was. She could just be herself around them. Letting her guard down was something Cordelia Chase could never do, but Cordelia Halliwell now had no trouble letting people in.

"Cordelia!"

The young witch whipped around in a defensive stance, ready for anything. It was still too light out for vampires. But she had long ago learnt that these days, demons no longer mostly attacked at night. Cordy then relaxed up slightly, as she saw a dark-haired girl around her own age come running up to her.

"Oh, there you are!" the other woman said, as she caught her breath. "I swear, this campus is much larger than a high school, and you do not have an assigned residence. So it took forever to find you!"

"Uh, do I know you?" Cordelia asked, wondering who this girl was.

"Oh, sorry," the girl said apologetically. "We meet briefly during the December of 1998. I'm Anya." At Cordelia's blank look she added, "I came when you wanted to curse your ex-boyfriend, Xander Harris. You know, the Wish thing? Vampire Willow? Any of this ringing any bells?" she added helpfully.

Cordelia brought her guard back up in an instant. "Right, you're the vengeance demon!"

"Former vengeance demon," Anya corrected, with a lingering trace of resentment. "Since I screwed up and let that librarian reverse the Wish..." She looked at the taller girl, wondering, "Uh, you're not still upset about you getting drained and killed by the alternate vampire versions of your former friends, are you?"

"What?" Cordelia asked, utterly confused.

"Never mind, nothing," Anya waved her fears off. "That's not why I'm here."

"Then why are you here?"

"You have my boyfriend," the former demon stated simply. "I would like him back, please."

"What?" Cordelia asked again with total incomprehension. "Your boyfriend? I thought you were a man-hating demon. Why would you have a boyfriend?"

"Well, granted, I didn't have one while I served D'hoffryn. But since I'm now stuck on this plane in this mortal body, I've found that I would like to have one," Miss Jenkins said with a shrug. "And unfortunately, you're currently in possession of the one I would like to have give me orgasms."

Cordelia just released a disgusted look at Anya's lack of tact; which in another life, would have been very hypocritical of her. "At present, lady, I do not have a boyfriend. So you're just going to have to get your orgasms somewhere else!"

Anya seemed confused. "Really? But the witch in Sunnydale said that you had him here."

"Who, him? And witch?" Cordelia asked. "You mean Willow?"

"Yes, that's her name," Anya confirmed. "She said that you had Xander Harris here, and were giving him many orgasms to make him want to stay with you instead of going back to the Hellmouth. A very sensible if worthless strategy for any man, in my opinion."

"Willow said what?!!" Cordelia fumed. "God damn it! Xander and I haven't even kissed, ever since we broke up!"

"Really?" Anya's face lit up. "Excellent! Then you won't mind if I assume possession of him. After all, I haven't been able to stop thinking of his pleasing and well-muscled shape. Had you not reclaimed him, I would have taken him to the Prom and Hotel room ritual last year."

Cordelia instantly saw red. "Hotel room? And possession! He's not a dog, lady!"

"Oh yes, I know that," Anya said, seemingly unfazed by Cordelia's growing anger. "Look, I am prepared to offer you a dowry for him, if there any leftover feelings that you claim ownership of his heart. Even though I'm not sure of the current standards nowadays; ah, my father gave Olaf several cows and sheep, back in the 9th century. Do you desire meat or dairy-producing cows?"

"Okay, freak, listen to me very carefully," Cordelia said firmly, as she leaned into Anya's face. "You are not taking Xander anywhere. For that matter, you will not see him, or attempt to contact him, in any way, shape or form; do you understand me?"

"You're trying to negotiate a better price. I can respect that," Anya concluded. "All right, I can also add on some land. I bought something called a timeshare-"

Cordelia cut her off, "There is no deal happening here, you sicko! Xander lives here now, and he's not going back to Sunnydale with you - period! Besides, and just for the record, you're not his type!"

"Wait, how is it possible that I'm not his type?" Anya asked in honest confusion. "I know the man, we spoke often before the Ascension thing. I have the necessary requisites; my breasts are of ample enough size for his tastes. From my experience with men, I am exactly his type-"

"You're not his type because he's a hero, Anya," Cordelia told her, going for the jugular. "Yeah, I remember all about you now. Xander doesn't have time for people who run and hide, when trouble's about to hit the fan. Wasn't the last time he saw you when you were sprinting out of town, before Graduation?"

When Anya still looked like she was going to protest, Cordelia added, "By the way, did Willow possibly tell you my full name?"

"She didn't have to," Anya answered. "You summoned me, remember? You're Cordelia Chase-"

Cordelia's usually beautiful face took on a very nasty look. "That's not my name anymore. I'm Cordelia Halliwell now. Does that last name ring any bells for you, demon?"

Now Anya was getting nervous. "A Charmed One?"

"That's right," Cordelia told her. "Now I want you to ask yourself, what do you think I should do with a self-confessed killer, that's currently hiding out in human form?"

"But, but it's not like that. Those people got what they deserved, and I'm just an ordinary human now," Anya said while backing up.

"Well, you see Anya, it's like this," Cordelia told her nastily. "Unlike Buffy, I don't have any problems with that part of it. Most of the demons that have invaded my home this last year - they've been awfully human-looking, one way or another. So, that wouldn't be a consideration for me."

Anya started backing away. "You can't stop me from seeing him, you know. I'm an American now. I know my rights! There's this thing called the Constitution, missy-"

"Then let me put it this way, Anya," Cordelia snarled out as she interrupted. "Across the street from where I live, is the San Francisco Slayer. Her name is Kennedy, and it's her duty to slay vampires and demons. She's also a lesbian, and according to Xander, she's desperately in love with me. So if I tell her who and what you are, what kind of odds would you give me that you'd last a week, no matter where you tried to hide?"

The former Anyanka broke out into a full-fledged run, after backing away a few feet. And as Cordelia watched the girl disappear she said to herself with a huge smile, "There was no part of that, that wasn't fun!"

**Halliwell Manor.**

**A short time later**

Cordelia came in via the back door, and plopped her backpack on the kitchen table. "Why hello, my wonderful older sister!"

Piper looked up at her from her the cake she was frosting. "My, aren't we chipper today?"

"Why shouldn't I be?" Cordelia asked merrily, as she grabbed some bottled water from the fridge. "I got an A minus on my U.S. history exam, hung out with the girls while bingeing on Ben and Jerry's, and best of all - I got to tell off a bitch!"

"And what bitch would that be?" Piper asked her, as she swatted Cordy's hand away from the frosting bowl.

"A girl from my high school days. Anya, or Anyanka as she was known for the last thousand years or so."

Piper frowned. "Anyanka? I've heard that name before-"

Cordelia nodded. "She's one of the vengeance demons listed in the Book of Shadows. She got off on giving cheating men horrible deaths. And hey, I can really understand the desire for a woman to wish a guy agonizing pain in the heat of the moment, but some of the things she did-"

"You went to high school with a freaking demon!?" Piper interrupted, shocked.

Cordelia just shrugged. "It's a long story, but she lost her powers before the end of senior year. And now, she's decided she wants Xander to give her lots and lots of orgasms!" She ignored her sister's weirded-out look, "Like I'm going to let a former demon that killed men for centuries, anywhere near the guy!"

"I honestly don't want to know," Piper said, holding up her hands in surrender. "On account of the fact that the words 'demons' and 'orgasms' should not be together in the same sentence!" She shook her head at Cordelia. "The package you've been waiting for came today, by the way."

Cordelia's smile got even wider. "Perfect, it's early!" She suddenly grew concerned. "Xander didn't see it come, did he?"

"No," Piper assured her, as she rinsed out the bowl in the sink. "He's at that seminar today, about the joys of woodworking."

"Thank God!" Cordy said, looking around. "Where is it?"

"Pantry," her sister informed her. "Now, are you going to tell me what it is yet? All you've told us so far is that it's Xander's birthday gift."

"Well, I found it on ebay," Cordelia shrugged, as she laid the poster-sized flat package on the table and slid a knife over the sealed front. "It's an art print, that I know he's been trying to find for years." She pulled out the framed and matted print, and held it up. "Well?"

"It's a ship?" Piper commented. "I mean it looks very life-like, but it's still a sinking ship."

"Not just any ship," Cordelia told her with a smile. "It's the Britannic."

"Don't you mean Titanic?" Piper asked with a frown.

"Nope, not at all," Cordelia said, the smile growing wider. "The Titanic sank at night during 1912; this one is the Titanic's sister ship, a hospital vessel that sunk on November 21st, 1916 during the day."

"Since when do you know so much about shipwrecks?" Piper asked her younger sister.

"Oh, I don't; it's just Xander was looking for one of these, even back when we were dating. I was going to get it for his birthday then, but I couldn't find one. But I did a lot of research on it," Cordelia said with a shrug.

"So, Xander's the shipwreck fan?"

"Kind of," Cordelia said. "He had a Titanic model kit in his room when he was growing up, but it was destroyed when his dad chucked it against the wall one time when he was drunk. I think he was around thirteen, at the time."

"Yikes," was all Piper could say.

"Yeah," Cordelia agreed. "But he wanted this one, because everyone knows about the Titanic. But not a lot of people know of her sister ship here, that sank a few years later." She added sadly, "He told me once he wanted it, because it reminded him of how everyone but himself forgot about Jesse McNally."

"Who?"

"First soldier down, in our little war against the vampires way back when."

**San Francisco gymnasium.**

**A week later**

"Is that them?" Emily asked her friend from behind the curtain.

Cordelia looked where she was pointing, and saw her sisters and Xander come into the auditorium. "Yep, that's them. Figures they would be running late. Piper's car probably broke down again!"

Emily gave Xander a once-over with an appreciative eye. "So, that's the guy you've had helping you practice?" she said to Cordy. "And you say his room is just down the hall from yours, huh?" she then asked very suggestively.

"Down, girl friend," Cordelia ordered her. "He's still on my reserve list."

"Reserve list?"

"It's just...that I've always had a boyfriend, for as long as I can remember," Cordy told her friend speculatively. "I just want to get to know the new me first, before I start going out on dates with guys. I want to figure out Cordelia Halliwell, before I work on Xander again."

A loud voice came from behind them. "Report in!" The girls quickly got in line with the other students, in front of their Tae Kwon Do teacher.

Twenty minutes later, Xander felt a tapping on his shoulder from the seat next to him. "There she is!" Piper said, pointing as the twelve students filed out onto the stage.

Sure enough, he spotted Cordelia in her white Tae Kwon Do uniform, third in line as they bowed to the instructor. Xander watched her athletic form in awe, (Wow. That white uniform really emphasizes her - no! Don't think that, bad Xander! Bad!)

"What exactly does she have to do again?" Prue asked him.

Xander counted off the steps with his fingers. "The five one steps, five combo kicks, the twenty step pattern and a board break."

"Board break!" Piper squealed. "She never practiced that at home!"

Xander agreed, "The instructor wanted them to only do the boards in class."

"I could never get all those moves down as fast as she did," Prue admitted.

Xander grinned. "Hey, she told me that next to cheerleading, memorizing twenty moves was nothing!"

Two hours later Cordelia was walking, no - almost skipping to her car with Xander and her siblings. After congratulatory hugs from the trio, they were planning on meeting Emily and some others from the class at a nearby pizza joint.

"This is just so wrong," the lone male said suddenly

"What's wrong about it, Xander?" the youngest sister asked, stopping with her hands on her hips. "The fact that your best friend can kick your ass now?"

"No, no, no," he said smirking. "Cordelia Halliwell wearing an orange belt. And it doesn't match her outfit! Oh, the horror - someone call the Fashion Police!"

"Ha, ha!" Cordy responded, rolling her eyes. "And make no mistake, I can kick your ass you know. Even more than I could before, you geek!"

"You may be wise in the ways of the feet now, Cordelia Halliwell," Xander told her, assuming the mien of a Kung Fu master. "But there is one martial art that I will always be able to best you in."

Shaking her head at him, Cordy asked, "And what art would that be, Mr. Lame-" She stopped dead, when she saw him coming at her. "Xander, I'm warning you! NO!"

"Oh, yes!" the once and former Soldier Guy said evilly, before he started to tickle her mercilessly. Piper and Prue just shook their heads, as Cordelia started screaming and laughing.

**Halliwell Manor.**

**February, 2000**

Cordelia left the attic while she was talking with Piper on the cordless phone, the middle sister at her restaurant called Quake located at North Beach. "Yeah, he sounds like a real piece of work. He has a nice voice, though. What's he look like?"

#A complete and total jerk,# Piper responded sourly. #Is Leo still around?#

"Yeah," Cordelia said as she came down the stairs. "He's working away. He wanted to know when you're gonna get back, though."

Piper groaned at something. #Ugh, I think it might be a while. Maybe I should talk to him?#

"Sure. Hold on a second," Cordelia told her as she went into the parlor, and was utterly shocked at the sight. "Oh my God!"

Leo was floating several feet off the ground, hovering over the chandelier and holding a glowing lightbulb. "Cordelia!" the whitelighter shouted in surprise as he saw her, right before the guy lost his concentration and fell to the floor. Hard.

"Lemme call you back!" Cordy quickly said into the phone, as she disconnected the line. Then she attempted to brandish it as a weapon between her and the angel. "Stay back Leo, or whatever your name really is!"

"Cordelia, wait. I can explain," the guy born during 1924 said quickly. He followed her as she backed up into the foyer, the lightbulb forgotten in his hand, still glowing.

"You're a warlock, aren't you?" Cordelia demanded.

"No," Leo quickly responded. "Wait, please. Think about it. If I was a warlock and I wanted to hurt you, don't you think I would have done it the last time I was here?"

"Okay. Good point," Cordelia conceded, but didn't let down her guard. "Still, most normal handymen use ladders to fix chandeliers. Are you a witch?"

"No."

"Then what are you?"

"Uh-" Leo stammered as he tried to think of something, not noticing that he was waving the still-glowing lightbulb in front of her. But when the whitelighter saw her eyes glued to it, he quickly shut it off and tried to laugh it off. "Would you believe, static electricity?"

Cordelia rolled her eyes, forgetting to be afraid. "You've been hanging out with Xander way too long, mister!"

A short time later Leo and Cordelia were sitting in the solarium, Cordy having retrieved the mug of tea she'd left there before she had gone up to the attic. "I mean up until today, I thought you were a handyman, and now I find out that you're a-"

"Whitelighter."

"And what exactly is a whitelighter?" the youngest Charmed One asked, confused.

"Well, we're really just messengers. Guides," Leo could see his charge was still confused. "Think of us as guardian angels for good witches." He noticed something, "Your tea must be cold." So he leaned forward and waved his hand, and the tea became hot again.

"Ow!" Cordelia exclaimed, as she pulled her hand away from the side of the now-hot mug. Looking at the steam coming off the tea, she mused, "Well, you are handy..." The 19-year-old girl thought for a moment. "So, all this time, you knew who we really were?"

"Yeah. I was sent to watch over you and your sisters, when you first got your powers. You know, help out wherever I could," he told her honestly.

"So, you working with Xander was just a cover?" Cordelia asked sadly, knowing how much her ex had liked working with his so-called carpentry boss. He had finished the apprenticeship by now, and Xander had his own small private business going - it was even called 'White Knight Carpentry', of all things.

"No, actually..." Leo said in response to the question, embarrassed. "I was sent to keep an eye on him as well."

"All right, fine. But why?" Cordy asked, growing concerned for her best friend. "Xander's not a witch, is he?"

"No. And as for why I was assigned to him, that's a...real gray area. Basically, I'm not one hundred percent sure; I was only told he was a...candidate. And for my money, it's for him eventually becoming a whitelighter, even though we're supposed to already know who our future peers are going to be..." He shook his head with a laugh. "Thing is though, he, uh - learned what I was, kinda fast. In fact, he's known almost since the day we met."

"Wait up," Cordelia said quickly. "Xander knew!? And he didn't tell me?!"

"Well, yeah, because I asked him not to," Leo answered with a smile. "He knew you'd be upset, but he understood that I was here to help protect you and your sisters. He's been a great asset, once I helped him get over his issues."

"Asset? And what kind of help has he given you?" Cordy didn't want to get into the 'issues' part right now.

"Remember back in January, you three had to give up your powers? Who do you think helped me get them back for you, with the Book of Shadows?"

"That was you?! And that darn book," Cordelia mused sourly. "Ever since we found out Xander can touch it, he's been studying it big-time."

"You can't really blame him for that," Leo told her. "I know for a fact his number one priority is protecting you and your sisters."

Cordelia tried to look annoyed, but she couldn't hide a smile at knowing that Xander was so gung-ho about keeping the three of them protected. "He can't do any of the stuff that's in there though, like the vanquishing spells and stuff."

"True. But knowledge is power," Leo reminded her.

"Yeah, I know that," Cordelia said, annoyed. "I've seen those NBC 'the more you know' adds." A stray thought struck her, "Wait, so if you're back now, does that mean you have to help us with something else?"

"Actually..." the angel started to say, "I'm here to help a boy named Max."

Cordelia's eyes went big. "Max? Wait. That's the...the..."

"That's the name from the spirit board. I know," Leo told her. "See, Max is a budding good witch, new to his powers. He's very young and vulnerable. And he's in serious trouble; someone wants to take advantage of his gift."

"So why don't you help him?" Cordelia wanted to know.

"I did. I made sure Prue received his cry for help. That's why I was sent here. That's all I'm supposed to do for now. The rest is up to Prue."

He said it as if it was simple, but Cordelia didn't think it was. "But Prue doesn't know anything about him. She doesn't even know that he's a little boy."

"Well, she will," Leo concluded. "In the meantime, you have to help me keep my secret - or I could get into big trouble. Piper and Prue can never know what I really am."

"Wait, uh, you have to tell Piper, because if I know her she's gonna think that-"

Leo cut her off, "I know. I know. And that's where I need your help. See?" He got out of the chair, and started to pace. "Whitelighters and witches aren't allowed to fall in love. It's like humans and angels - aren't. But I did. I fell in love with Piper."

"And I know how much she cares about you," Cordelia told him sadly.

Leo looked defeated. "It isn't fair to keep her in the dark...but I have to keep this secret. So somehow, I have to tell Piper that I can never see her again - and I can't tell her why."

"You don't need my help for that, Leo," Cordy said in her old tactless way. "You need a miracle!"

**Apartment B, 523 Oak Park Street, Sunnydale, California.**

**3:10 a.m., that morning**

Rupert Giles tossed and turned in his bed. He had half-woken up to go to the bathroom twenty minutes before, and was having a hard time finding a comfortable position. He was just starting to drift off, when the sound of a voice surprised the shit out of him.

"Really, Rupert, the Time Life series? You know this mass-produced crap is just utter drivel..."

Giles shot upright, and had his sword out in a flash. The elderly man just shook his head from the chair in the corner of the room. "You usually keep a sword next to your bed like that, old chap?"

"Smith!"

"Yes, Rupert," the man said casually. "You did want to talk to me, didn't you?"

"I've been trying to get ahold of you for months, you berk!" Giles yelled in aggravation, as he dropped the sword.

"Well, I've been busy," Smith told him, as he tossed a robe to the Englishman. "Put this on and we'll have a nice chat, shall we?"

Giles followed his 'friend' down the stairs, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "I'll just put on some tea, and then we can-"

"Oh, no need," Smith told him as he sat down on the couch. "I already picked some up. Cheers," the visitor drank from his store-bought mug.

Giles felt his across from him. "Bloody hell, it's still warm. Where on earth did you find a place that sells tea at this hour?"

"Oh, there's this great little place in New York City," Smith told him. "I found it about four years ago, and I've been going there for my morning tea ever since."

"You get your tea in New York, and yet you live in London?" Giles asked, surprised.

"Your point being?"

Giles let out a sigh, as he sat down. "I should have learned by now not to let anything about you surprise me."

Smith laughed a bit. "Now, don't say that around Martha. She says that I'm an open book to her."

"Well, most men are to their wives, you know," Giles responded, before he got down to business. "I assume you have the information I was looking for?"

Smith pulled out a folder. "You wanted to know any and all information on the Charmed Ones that is not in the general knowledge pool, correct?"

"Quite right," Giles said. "What can you tell me? Like for starters, how the Council knew that the Charmed Ones would be activated when they were?"

"Come now, Ripper," Smith said in a teasing tone. "You should have figured that out yourself, easily."

The ex-Watcher's voice grew dark. "Consider me stupid. One of those girls is someone I consider to be like one of my own children. And since Xander Harris is also there, I want to know everything beyond the obvious."

"It's simple, really," Smith told him. "Melinda Warren prophesised that her line would grow in power, culminating in the arrival of three sisters, the most powerful witches of all time; and they would be known as the Charmed Ones. So the Council started keeping an eye on her descendants, right for the get-go. After a few measly hundred years, Patty Halliwell had three baby girls that we know of. One of them was your so-called Cordelia."

"You're saying that it's just because Cordelia and her sisters are the first set of three sisters that the Warren family has ever had?" Giles asked his friend. "But how would the Watchers know to have a Slayer there, for when Cordelia went to meet her birth family?"

"One of the seers got lucky, old man, and foresaw young Miss Chase reading the spell to activate their powers," Smith said calmly, as he took another sip from his tea. "But there is one thing that surprised me about the Charmed Ones, to be honest."

"Something surprised you?" Giles asked, not liking that idea.

"Oh, it's nothing big mind you," Smith waved off his concerns. He pulled out a black and white 8x10 photo of a woman in a waitress uniform. "That's Patricia Halliwell, in late 1980. The Council was doing a random checkup on her, had been doing it ever since it came to their notice she'd had two baby girls."

"They were hoping for her to get pregnant again."

"Correct as always, Rupert," Smith said, as he pulled out two other photos. "A strange thing happened on that day, though. It seems that good old Patty was almost attacked by a police officer."

"What? Why would a police officer attack her?" asked a confused Giles.

"A better question is, how did her rescuer show up when she did?" Smith smirked, before he let Giles see one of the 20-year-old photographs.

The image displayed almost made the former librarian spit out his tea. "Cordelia!?"

"It wasn't just her, Rupert." Smith slid another picture over, and it also showed Cordelia Halliwell existing within an era she should not have been. This one also showed her two older sisters talking in a park, with two little dark-haired girls.

"Rupert, my point is this," Smith said as he leaned back in his seat. "It seems at some point, hell - maybe even today for all we know; the Charmed Ones have utilized time travel."

"My word!" Giles struggled out. "This, this is simply incredible! No one on the Council has ever been able to-" He was cut off by Smith's watch beeping.

"Oh, wonderful," the other man groaned. "I have to get back to help my dear wife decide what color she wants to paint our living room."

He got up and was going to pick up his jacket, but stopped. "Actually, Rupert, I might as well tell you the big deal with the Charmed Ones before I go. It'll save me some bother in the future."

"The big deal?" Giles asked, as he too stood up.

"You see, old chap," Smith said as he put on his jacket. "When magic resides within a family lineage, it doesn't just go away. It's been in the Warren line for hundreds of years now, and just because the Charmed Ones are finally active - that doesn't mean that the magic ends with them. I can't say where my prophecy originates, because no one knows for sure-"

"I knew there had to be a prophecy about them somewhere!" Giles told him jubilantly. "But I-I-I've never been able to find it, thanks to getting cut off from the Council."

"Well, whatever, the basic rundown is that now that the Charmed line - not the Warren line - has been activated...it doesn't have to be three sisters anymore."

"Brothers?" Giles asked in amazement.

"No. Although it could be, one day," Smith acknowledged "But some time in the future...cousins."

"You're telling me that at least two of the Charmed Ones will have children?!" Giles asked intrigued.

"Not two, all three of them," Smith told his 'friend', before he became very serious. "And you must swear to me that you will not share this information with anyone, old man. Especially not your friend Cordelia. There are some things no one should know, about their own future."

"Of course. You have my word on it," Giles responded.

Smith leaned on the couch, as he recited a line from memory. "Take heed thou Charmed Ones, for ye shall all be great with child. One maiden, and three male offspring shall spring from thy wombs; powerful cousins who will carry the Power to save the innocents."

He paused. "One girl and three boys," Smith said matter-of-factly. "There's also a mention that one of them could fall to the dark side of the Force, as it's commonly referred to these days; but as to which one of them it is, I can't say."

"How is it that this is not well known?" Giles asked in confusion. "The coming of the Charmed Ones has been legend for, uh, for a very long time. Countless studies have been done on the subject, so why is this little tidbit of information also not out there on the grapevine?"

"Oh, you have the Council to thank for that," Smith responded in a disgusted voice. "You know how they love to keep the Slayer under their control. Just imagine what would happen if they could gain control of the Charmed family line from the beginning, eh?"

Giles' horrified face let Smith knew he understood the implications of that much power under the Council's sway in future generations. "Not a pleasant thought. However, they weren't counting on two of your wayward Slayer's past helpers being in the Charmed family," the visitor smirked.

"In the family?" Giles asked, shocked. "Wait, a-are you saying that the child or children Cordelia will someday give birth to - they'll be fathered by Xander!?"

"No. Because quite honestly, I don't know who any of the fathers are going to be," Smith said shortly, not liking anything he didn't know. "This future mate of Cordelia's is named only as the 'Judged One'. And I have no idea - no one does - what that means." He added when Giles was about to ask, "Bloody hell, Rupert, the entire translation is now coming under intense investigation. There are no answers - only questions."

"If this prophecy is as old as it sounds," Giles said slowly, "surely it-it has been translated fully and correctly by now?"

"You'd think that, yes. But the reason it's coming under new scrutiny now," Smith told him, "is because the 'once missing sister of power' that is thought to be your Cordelia...is in fact listed as the middle child, and not the youngest."

**Halliwell Manor attic.**

**Late February, 2000**

Piper laid her head on Leo's chest, as they sat on the old couch. A lot had happened lately, including herself and Prue finding out what Leo really was. Mulling over the events of the day she told him, "I almost wish I hadn't given you your powers back. Then you wouldn't be able to leave."

"Me too," Leo said sadly.

"So, if Daisy's a whitelighter-to-be?" the middle sister wondered. "Does that mean you used to be-"

"Human?" Leo asked with a grin. "Yes, it does. I was actually born right here, in San Francisco. I had lived here, all the way up till I went into the war."

"You mean, like Vietnam?"

"No. World War Two." The guardian angel kept going, despite the look she gave him at that revelation, "I had left med school, and enlisted as a medic. I wanted to help save people, not shoot them." He looked lost in thought for a moment. "The last thing I remember I was bandaging a soldier's head wound, I felt a sharp pain and the next thing I know - I was floating, surrounded by whitelighters. They offered me immortality, and the chance to help special people like you. I never once doubted that I didn't make the right choice..."

Leo looked into his ladylove's eyes. "That is, until I met you. Ever since, all I can think is how I'd give it up and have a mortal life again; to have a family, grow old with you."

"Is that possible?" Piper asked, surprised at the hope in her own voice.

He nodded. "Yeah. I can become human again, Piper, if you want me to."

"Are you kidding?" the witch exclaimed. "I want that more than anything, I don't want to lose you again!"

"But..."

She deflated quickly. "But then, you wouldn't be able to help other witches or other future whitelighters, would you? You couldn't save the next Daisy."

A silence overcame them, as the couple both knew that saving the innocents came first. "Can I let you in on a big secret?" Leo then asked her carefully. Piper nodded. "The next Daisy...might in fact be Xander."

"WHAT?!"

The young-looking man said slowly, "I said might be. Your sister's ex-boyfriend - he defies category, even though he's definitely one of my charges. Look, he mustn't know any of this; in fact, only you and Cordelia know the truth. I just thought that you should be in the loop, to help her keep an eye on him if another darklighter tries to take me out."

Piper looked at him and said slowly, "If it did ever happen - if he died and became one of you - then he and my sister couldn't be together either, anymore than we can. Could they?"

Leo just shook his head slowly. (Responsibility. It sucks,) Piper thought glumly.

The future whitelighter Elder hugged her closer to him for a few moments before he said, "I better go." After a quick kiss he whispered, "I love you," before Leo Wyatt vanished in a blazing pattern of white light.

Piper let a single tear slip before she said, "I love you too."

A construction site near a set of train tracks, along the outskirts of San Francisco.

Inspector Andy Trudeau of the SFPD turned around, as his partner approached. "How ya doing?" Daryl Morris asked.

Andy shook his head a little bitterly. "Been better. How about you?"

Morris looked at him, upset. "Those I.A. assholes wanted me to wear a wire."

"Yeah," Andy responded. "So, you wearing one?"

"What do you think?" Daryl said with a sad smile.

"You in any kind of trouble?" Andy asked him.

"Less than you, it seems," the black man answered.

Andy let out a big sigh before he said, "I just want you to know I'm doing it for a good cause."

"Andy, I'm your partner," Daryl told him, "But more importantly, I'm your friend. I wanna believe you're on our side. It would really help me, if I knew why you were doing this. I'm not asking you for I.A., I'm asking you for me. I think you owe me one."

About half a block away, two men watched from a parked car. "I told you they would meet, didn't I?" Inspector Rodriguez said to his partner in the driver's seat.

Inspector Anderson just shook his head, as he tried to adjust the parabolic microphone over the noise of the construction. "Doesn't do us any good if we can't hear them over the noise. I sure wish I could read lips."

Not far away, Daryl looked his friend in the eye. "Who are you covering for?"

Andy thought about it for a moment, before a train started to pass behind them. "It's Prue. And all I can tell you is she's connected to all of our unsolved cases."

"Prue, huh?" Morris said with a groan. "I was so hoping you weren't gonna say that."

Back in the car, Inspector Anderson took off the headphones in defeat. "I can't hear a damn thing."

"He's covering up for Prue Halliwell," Rodriguez said firmly.

Anderson looked at him in complete confusion. 'What? How the hell did you know-" He stopped talking, when Rodriguez turned to look at him. His eyes had changed shape, and turned a blood-red color.

"-oh my God!"

Because of all the noise, no one heard anything as the I.A. Inspector was torn apart by the demon.

**Halliwell Manor.**

**A short time later**

Piper was in the attic, not doing anything in particular. As she went to close the window, she spotted something shiny on the couch. The witch bent down, and was surprised with what she pulled up.

"Leo," she said with affection, before she put the pair of World War Two dog tags around her neck.

It wasn't much, but she knew from talks with Xander during the time when they'd rented 'Saving Private Ryan' that soldiers always wore their dog tags. It wasn't much, she told herself, but at least it was something.

In the kitchen, the mood was a little more towards the downside. Xander was absently doing the crossword puzzle from a newspaper a week old, while Prue was getting herself a cup of coffee.

"You know," Cordelia said, as she came in with her shopping bag from the market. "Is it only me, or could you just draw a white chalk outline around this whole place?"

"Well, I don't know what you could possibly mean, Cordelia," Prue said sarcastically, as she sat down at the table near Xander. "I mean the weekend's almost over, we never made it to Cabo, I'm never gonna see Andy again, and Piper's lost the love of her life."

"Hey, the glass is way more than halfway full here, sister dear," Cordelia told her older sibling, as she took out three hollowed-out pineapples from the fridge. "Piper saved the love of her life, we vanquished Alec's sorry ass, and Daisy's on her way back to her family. And we even managed to straighten out our powers, thank God."

Prue looked at her in surprise. "Thank God? I thought that you always wanted an active power."

"Yeah, maybe," Cordelia stated, before she began pouring mixed drinks into the pineapples. "I never thought I'd actually miss my premonitions. Your power was like wearing a dress that was way too tight. Not that that would ever happen," she said as an afterthought.

"Well, I say let's not forget the real bummer about all this," Xander spoke up.

"And what's that?" Prue asked.

"That I never got to strut my stuff along the beach, with three incredibly hot brunettes in bikinis!" the guy told her with a laugh, before Prue smacked him on the arm. Both sisters tried to give him a serious glare but failed, as Harris just sat there smugly.

Finally Prue turned back to Cordelia and told her honestly, "It takes a lot of strength to see what you see."

"I'll drink to that," Cordelia responded, trying to cover up her slight blushing at the compliment. She brought over the alcohol-filled pineapples, setting one in front of each of them, complete with tiny paper umbrellas. "If we can't go to Cabo, we might as well bring Cabo to us." She hit play on the CD player remote, causing reggae music to fill the room.

Prue took her drink, still depressed. "I don't know, Cordy, we still have some serious problems to deal with."

"Problems are for Monday mornings. What do you say?" Cordelia demanded, as she held up her pineapple and looked to her best friend and older sister.

Prue and Xander shared a look, before the oldest Halliwell smiled. "It's gonna be a hell of a Monday morning, but until then..."

All three bumped their pineapples in a toast, before they took a drink.

"You know, there is one thing that I was looking forward to on the beach, that I think we can do here."

"What's that, Cor?" Xander asked her.

The former cheerleader reached into her inside jacket pocket, and pulled out a pair of light blue men's Speedo's.

"Oh, no!" Xander said, as his eyes went huge.

"Oh, you mean we missed the Speedo's?" Prue complained. "Damn, after seeing the pictures, I would have liked to see it live and in person too!"

"Pictures!?" Xander yelled in horror.

Cordelia gave him a very sweet-looking smile. A smile he'd gotten to know all too well, over the years. "What, Xander? You don't remember the swim team photos, from two years ago? I mean, they were in the girls' locker room for at least three months!"

**Tuesday, March 28th 2000**

Cordelia was trying to talk some sense into Xander. "You shouldn't be going, period!"

"Yeah, but I have to, Cordy," Xander said absently, as he put on his sneakers. "Giles made it clear that they need me for the spell that this Tara chick thought of. It's odd, I know, that even after I move away I'm still somehow the heart of the Scoobies - but there ya go."

"Xander, you live with three super-witches! I mean God, we should be going too if it's so bad!" the young woman told him, upset. "I don't like the idea of you going into a demon-filled underground base with some Frankenstein reject running loose! We should all come with you, so we can-"

"Protect me?" he said simply, with no emotion.

"You're goddamn right I want to protect you!" Cordelia yelled. "What sane witch would let her best friend go into something like that, and not help him out?"

"I'll be alright. Trust me," Xander told her with a smile, as he turned for the door.

But Cordelia stopped him, when she grabbed the guy and turned him back to be face-to-face with her. "I'm warning you, Xander," she said, very determined and almost tempted to tell him what Leo had told her, months ago. "If you die, I am so going to summon your ghost back, just to kick your ass!"

"Don't doubt it for a second. But I'll be okay," Harris told her softly.

"You better be!" Ms. Halliwell responded, as she gave him a peck on the cheek before he rushed out the door.

**Penthouse apartment, somewhere in San Francisco.**

**11:43 p.m., that night**

The residence was lit only by fire. Various candles were scattered over the table, kitchen counter and ledges. Also, a large fire was burning in the round fireplace in the center of the room. The lone occupant of the apartment was seated at the table, holding several photographs. As he looked at them, the look on his face grew more determined.

Prue, dropping something in a mail drop box.

Piper, walking down a busy street.

Cordelia, fishing out change for a parking meter.

And the last one. All three sisters sitting near the windows in their home, talking.

Rodriguez looked up very surprised, when the flames in the fireplace crackled and swirled in a firestorm of embers. The burning embers flew into the room, and swirled around one spot. After a second, a cloaked figure appeared in flames; and as they died down, the flames had no effect on the new arrival.

Rodriguez jumped out of his chair, and got to his knees in front of the figure as quickly as possible. "Tempus. I never-"

"Never expected to see me," the figure said as it turned around to reveal a man, or a human-looking male anyway. "Of course not," he then said, as if it was obvious as the guy removed his hood. "You were not worthy before now."

"What is the name you are using here?" Tempus then asked, before he motioned the demon to stand.

"Rodriguez."

"Ah, yes," Tempus said as if it didn't matter at all. "I have been sent to you, Rodriguez. As a gift," he flamboyantly let his cloak drop to the floor.

Rodriguez looked at him in confusion. "Sent? By who?"

"I think you know who and why."

This made the Inspector very agitated. "I can defeat the Charmed Ones on my own. I don't need any help!"

"Really," Tempus mocked him, before he turned to go look out the window and the darkened city. "What makes you think you have actually found the Charmed Ones?"

"Are you kidding?" Rodriguez scoffed. "After so many of my colleagues have mysteriously vanished in San Francisco, these last nine months or so? There can only be one reason why. I posed as a cop, as I believed that one was covering for them. And I was right, he was. That's how I found them."

He looked at Tempus smugly. "Of course, you already know all that, don't you. That's what makes me so worthy now, right?"

Tempus spun on him. "Watch your tongue, Rodriguez, lest I split it for you!" Then calmer he added, "I am the master of time, in ways you cannot hope to comprehend. The fact is you should have been worthy ages ago, last August to be precise - but the Enemy changed its game plan. This is why things are happening now, later than they should have."

Rodriguez was hopelessly confused. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Never mind. Listen to me - it's one thing to have found the Charmed Ones, it's quite another to defeat them - as those who have gone before you have already discovered." The powerful demon pulled out ancient pocket watch. "Tomorrow is Wednesday. I want you to get all three witches together in one place by midnight, and give it your best shot. But if you fail-"

"I will not fail!" Rodriguez growled out.

Totally amused by his subordinate, Tempus told the so-called cop, "Well, if you do fail. I'll be there to help you learn by your failures." He held up a hand to ward off Rodriguez's rebuke, "Trust me. Now, how do you expect to get them together?"

An arrogant smile came over Rodriguez's features. "Trudeau."

**Halliwell Manor kitchen.**

**Wednesday, March 29th 2000**

**8 a.m.**

An attractive, and blond, Weather Girl's voice came from the small 13-inch TV on the counter. "Good morning, San Francisco. Well, it looks like it's going to be a beautiful Wednesday today..."

Cordelia paid her no attention, as she stood in her pajamas talking into the cordless phone. "Piper, what are you doing at Quake? It's like 8:00 in the morning!"

"Morning," Prue called out, as she entered the kitchen with the newspaper.

Cordelia covered the phone as she returned the greeting, "Morning." Then she went back to the conversation with her other sister, "Yes, alright, I'll be there in an hour." As Cordy hung up, she spun around when she heard something fall. Kit had knocked over the large pepper shaker on the counter, and was playing with it.

"You'll be where in an hour?" Prue inquired, as she took a sip of her coffee.

Cordelia just rolled her eyes. "Quake. Piper's doing that thing for the food network today, and she needs me to bring her another dress, because she spilled marinara sauce all over the one she's wearing. God, it's like she never wears an apron anymore?"

"Well," Prue mused. "Just stay out of my closet."

"Oh, don't worry, I don't think she'd want to ruin another one of yours," Cordelia joked.

"I don't believe this!" Prue suddenly exclaimed.

"I'm kidding, Prue," Cordy told her hastily. "Sheesh, don't have an aneurysm!"

Prue shook her head. "No, I'm talking about the paper. Did you see the front page?"

Cordelia's answer was cut off, when they heard tires squeal and a crash from outside. "Where did you park my car last night?" Prue quickly demanded.

"In the driveway...I think," Cordelia answered, panicked.

They ran to the living room, and as Prue pulled back the drapes to look out she said, "Mrs. Henderson's car."

"Oh, thank God," Cordelia breathed a sigh of relief. "No, I mean, that your car's in the driveway and I'm not in the doghouse here. Is she okay?"

"Yeah, just a little fender bender, no big deal," Prue said, as she turned back to her sister. "Cordelia, Andy's in trouble."

The youngest Halliwell's eyes showed genuine concern. "What? Why?"

Prue held up the paper. The front page showed a large picture of Andy and the headline shouted out, 'Inspector Suspected In I.A. Murder'.

Cordelia couldn't believe it. "They think that he killed that Internal Affairs cop? No way!"

Prue eyed it suspiciously. "Maybe it's a setup, trying to force him to reveal our secret."

"Let me see that," Cordelia demanded, before she took the paper. But as soon as she touched it, the witch flinched as a premonition hit her full-on.

In her mind's eye, she saw Andy fly across the room. Then her and Piper kneeling next to him, before Cordelia closed his eyes for the last time. "Oh no," she whispered, horrified.

Prue knew her sibling had just had a vision. "What is it?"

This was one premonition Cordelia didn't want to pass on. "I...saw Andy, Prue...he was killed. Right in this very room."

It took several moments for Prue to collect herself, after hearing that. "Did...did you see a demon or a warlock, in your premonition?"

Cordelia looked to her, still horrified. "No, but the way he was hurled across the room, there had to have been one."

"This room here," Prue demanded.

Cordelia looked down. "Right here, yeah."

"Okay, and you're positive that it was Andy?" Prue asked, grasping at straws.

"Prue," her sister said softly. "It was him."

Prue crossed her arms, and closed her eyes for a moment. "I just want to be sure, alright? This isn't just anybody that we're talking about, you know."

"I know," Cordelia said firmly. "I care about him too."

Prue looked at her apologetically. "I know you do. I'm sorry. Um, right, why don't you fill in Piper, and I'm gonna go warn Andy."

"How?" Cordy wanted to know. "He said it was too risky for you to be seen with him anymore."

"Yeah, well, I don't care," Prue told her firmly. "Let Internal Affairs find out that we're witches. Andy's life is a lot more important."

"Okay, just please be careful. You don't know what kind of demon we're up against here," Cordelia said cautiously. "I mean, Xander and his zat guns are in Sunnydale by now, and Leo's been recalled to wherever those Elders hang out. So it's just us three on this one."

**Interrogation Room C, SFPD stationhouse.**

**A few minutes later**

Recently suspended police Inspector Andy Trudeau was sitting and talking to his partner. Darryl was more than just a tad upset, "If you ask me, I wouldn't be surprised if Rodriguez was the one who whacked his own partner."

Andy looked up at him "I.A. already cleared him."

"I.A. cleared I.A.," Morris said angrily. "Go figure."

"Yeah."

Trudeau quickly dropped his concerned face, as Rodriguez entered the room. "What are you doing here, Morris?" the demon demanded.

Darryl frowned at him. "I'm backing my partner, Rodriguez, something you wouldn't know anything about." That caused a slight smirk to appear on Andy's face.

Rodriguez wasn't amused. "This is between him and me."

Andy said simply, "It's okay, Darryl."

Morris slowly left the room, keeping eye contact with Rodriguez before he closed the door. Andy leaned back, and put his feet up on the table. "Just for the record, I'm not saying anything without my lawyer present."

Rodriguez stayed calm. "You don't need a lawyer, that's if you're willing to help me."

"You want me to help you?" Andy laughed bitterly. "What, you can't frame yourself Rodriguez?"

"Look, Andy-"

Trudeau interrupted him angrily, "Oh, it's Andy now."

"I don't think you had anything to do with my partner's murder," Rodriguez said openly, as he sat on the table edge. "But what I do think is completely off the record. And I think you'll understand why."

He held up a photo to the disgraced cop. What was on it caused the human to look away in disgust. (Makes me wanna puke, all right...)

"That's my partner. Or at least, what's left of him," the Hispanic-looking guy said, before he put the picture down. "No human could have done that to him. I think he was killed by something supernatural. And I think you can help me figure out who or what it is."

Andy looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Really. And what makes you think that?"

"Come on, I know all about those unsolved cases of yours, and I know who's behind them too. Who you've been covering for. It's very noble. You must care about her very much, to give up your career for her." Rodriguez leaned in close. "Prue Halliwell...is a witch."

"A witch, huh? You wait here," Andy said, as he got up. "I'll go warn the Wizard of Oz."

Rodriguez stood as well. "I don't have time to screw around, Trudeau. I want you to arrange a meeting between her and me. It has to be tonight. If she can help me find out who killed my partner, I'll drop all charges against you. And I won't tell anyone about her. You think about it," he leaned in close again. "But not for too long."

Rodriguez spun and walked out passing Darryl, who gave him a nasty look. "You alright?"

"I'm not sure," Andy said, as he put on his jacket. "I gotta go see Prue."

That caused Darryl to tell him, "That's funny. She just called and said she had to see you too."

**San Francisco shopping district.**

**A short while later**

Tempus was calmly reading the newspaper about Andy, while leaning against the window of a clock store. He turned to watch Rodriguez swipe a flower from a sidewalk vendor, as he approached. The so-called Inspector calmly smelled it, as he came up to the high-level demon.

Tempus looked at him, and as causally as if he was asking about sports statistics said, "Well?"

Rodriguez twirled the flower in his hand. "I'm sure I made Trudeau suspicious of me. He'll go to Prue, and she'll have no choice but to meet with me."

"But you have to get all three of them together."

Rodriguez gave him a smug smile. "Trudeau cares about her. He won't let her risk meeting me alone. He'll insist she have the power of three there with her...for protection."

"And you think you have the power to defeat them all," the slightly mocking tone was back.

"You don't think I do, do you?" Rodriguez growled lightly. "You think I'll fail."

"Time will tell," was Tempus's only answer.

**Quake restaurant, North Beach, San Francisco.**

**A short while later**

Cordelia came in, carrying a dress on a hanger in a clothes bag. She looked around all over the place, looking for her sister amongst the cameras and lights being set up.

Piper's voice called to her, "Cordelia! Over here."

The last child born to Victor Bennett and Patty Halliwell rushed over, and handed her the dress. (Better late than never!)

"Thank God!" Piper exclaimed. "The segment producer's gonna be here any minute, and I am a complete and total wreck!" she said, as the young cook let go of the towel she was trying to wipe the stain from her current dress.

"Piper," Cordy tried to interrupt her.

But Piper kept going, "I thought I was gonna have to pull a Celine Dion, and wear my dress backwards!"

"Piper," Cordelia tried again. "You have gotta listen to me. I had a premonition." She hated to say it, "Of Andy dying."

"What?" Piper asked, stunned. "When?"

"This morning!" Cordelia said, annoyed. "Don't you check your voice mail? I called and said it was important."

Piper didn't like this at all. "Oh, no. Where's Prue?"

"She's warning him. But in the meantime, you and I have to figure out who the demon is," Cordelia told her.

At that moment, a woman in what the old Cordelia would call a 'power suit' came into the room. "Piper? Piper Halliwell?" the redheaded woman asked in surprise, while Piper stood behind her little sister to cover the marinara stain. "I would recognize you anywhere; you have not changed a bit!"

At the blank look the woman laughed lightly. "You don't recognize me, do you? It's Joanne. Joanne Hurts, Baker High, class of '92."

It took a moment for Piper to place her. "Oh, sure, of course. Joanne, what are you doing here?"

Joanne gushed a little, "I'm the segment producer."

"You're the segment producer?" Piper tried to hide her surprise, as she turned to Cordelia. "She's the segment producer."

"So I heard," Cordy said with a 'like, gosh' tone.

Piper looked towards her old classmate. "Wow, what a small world. I thought you moved to New York-"

Joanne nodded happily. "Oh, I did. And that's where I met my fabulous husband, who had this crazy idea of starting this little cable show and putting me in charge of everything. And here we are, the food network's most popular show. Talk about dreams coming true." She looked back to Piper. "So anyway, enough about me, what have you been doing?"

Piper smiled a fake smile, before deciding to hell with it and she froze Joanne.

Cordelia looked at her, confused. "Why'd you do that?"

"What am I supposed to say?" her sister complained. "That I'm a cash-strapped single restaurant manager, who still lives in the same house I grew up in - with the sister she remembers, as well as my new other sister and her ex-boyfriend?"

"And the cat," Cordelia said, trying to help. "Don't forget Kit the cat."

"Cordelia, this isn't funny."

"Look, I don't know why you're getting so upset," Cordy told her frankly. "She's a freak. I'm sorry, but no one is that successful at age 26! Besides, you're successful, you're talented, you're creative, and the food network is here to see you. Not me, not her, you. Feel better now?"

"Very little," Piper admitted.

Cordelia nodded in understanding. "Good. Now unfreeze that bitch in heels, you've got a segment to shoot and we've got a demon to find."

**Unknown San Francisco city park.**

**A short while later**

Prue and Andy were standing near the large porch swing hanging from a tree that they'd used to come to, when they'd been dating in high school.

"Has Cordelia ever been wrong about her premonitions before?" Andy asked, getting agitated. He hadn't liked being told about his possible upcoming death. But then, what man would?

"No," Prue answered with what he didn't want to hear. "But the good news is every other time, we've been able to affect the outcome. Stop the demon or warlock before..."

Andy interrupted her, "Before I get killed. Can I get that in writing?"

"Andy, you just have to be extra careful until we figure out who this demon is, okay?" When he didn't respond Prue asked, "Andy?"

"I was just thinking," Andy said, thinking it over. "What if the demon was Rodriguez?"

"Why would you say that?"

Andy filled her in, "He pulled me into the stationhouse this morning. I thought he was gonna arrest me. What he really wanted was a meeting with you."

"Meet with me? Why?" Prue asked.

"Because he thinks his partner was killed by a supernatural being, and somehow..." he confessed, "I don't know how, he knows you're a witch."

This did not sit well with Prudence Halliwell at all. "How would he know that, unless-"

"Unless he was the demon," Andy finished for her.

She had no choice, it was obvious. "Alright, uh, tell Rodriguez to meet me at the manor at six o'clock."

"It's too dangerous, Prue."

"I don't have a choice," the brunette woman told him. "If I don't meet with him, he'll try to frame you and try to expose me."

The third generation cop was still not convinced. "But if he is a demon, and it turns out to be a trap-"

"Then I'll have Piper and Cordelia there to back me up, the power of three," his beloved said.

Andy frowned. "What about Harris?"

Prue shook her head. "He's not here right now. There's some out-of-town demon emergency."

"Then I gotta be there-"

She very quickly shook her head firmly. "No. You can't be there, Andy. That's where you were in Cordy's premonition, when...just promise me you'll stay away."

"I can't do that, Prue."

"I mean it," the witch told him forcefully. "Don't make me use my magic on you!"

They both had to smile at that, as they both knew she'd cast a spell on him with a different kind of magic, back when they first fell in love. "I don't want anything to happen to you, Andy. You know how much I care for you."

He didn't like that on bit, but..."Okay, I promise."

**On the street outside the Manor.**

**A little before 6 p.m.**

Andy had been sitting in his car, staked out near the manor, for a few hours now. He ducked when he saw Rodriguez pull up. After a beat he looked out to see Kit, who was sitting on the railing by the sidewalk, hissing at Rodriguez walking by. The demon just turned and glared at the cat menacingly.

Inside the manor, the sisters walked towards the small round table near the bottom of the stairs. "Alright, let's go over the plan again," Prue said in full command.

Cordelia quickly agreed, "Yeah, let's, because I wanna know why I'm the one answering the door."

"Because you're the one who knows martial arts," Prue told her again. "Alright? That way if Rodriguez tries something right off the bat, you can knock him down."

"And then I can come in from the living room and freeze him," Piper added.

"And then I can come down the stairs and send him flying," Prue finished the plan.

Cordelia crossed her arms. "Fine, but I still feel like my ass is cannon fodder here."

They all looked up, as the doorbell rang. "What time is it?" Prue asked quickly.

Piper checked her watch. "Just before six." The doorbell chimed a couple more times. "That's a little too anxious, that's not a good sign."

"Which means if he doesn't want to kill Prue, he wants to date her," Cordelia joked badly, as her sisters stared at her for a second.

Prue looked determined, "Come on, let's get this day over with."

"Okay," Cordelia said, as she took a few deep breaths on the way to the door. When the bell rang again she said annoyed, "All right, already!" Then the woman opened it as calmly as she could.

The demon flashed his badge. "Inspector Rodriguez. I'm here to see Prue Halliwell," he said, before he reclipped it to his belt.

"Yeah, no kidding," Cordy said in disgust, as she turned and slowly walked back to the position near the table. "Prue! Piper! Company!"

She turned back to see that Rodriguez was still by the door. Slowly, the man turned and Cordelia looked on in fear - as his eyes were now blood-red, and glowing. And before she could react the demon threw a blue energy ball, that nailed the girl right in the chest.

The former bitch queen hardly had time to scream as the blast threw her off her feet, over the staircase railing and hard into the wall several feet away.

Her impact shattered the plaster, and two large framed pictures. Cordy got covered in glass shards, as her body rolled down the stairs. And she didn't get up afterwards.

"Cordelia!" Piper ran in, panicked.

Rodriguez tried to throw an energy ball at her, but she froze it and him, as the deadly ball reached about halfway to her. She then quickly ran to her fallen sister's aid.

Prue ran down the stairs. "Cordelia!" she yelled, at seeing what has happened to her youngest sibling. In rage, the oldest used her power to reverse the energy ball, sending it flying back to Rodriguez.

The demon unfroze just before it hit him. As the energy crackled around him, Rodriguez screamed out loud, as he got blown up from the inside out. His body vanished, leaving no trace of him - save for the scorch marks.

Prue reached Cordelia first. "Oh, God!" she cried.

"Prue!" Piper called as she reached her sisters. "Is she okay?"

Prue could hardly say it, over her complete horror. "She's dead."

"What?!" Piper yelled, as she turned over her fallen sister. "Cordelia!" she called, as she shook the corpse. "Cordelia! No! How are we supposed to explain this to Xander? Please! NO!"

There was no response as Prue closed Cordelia's dead hazel eyes, before both sisters began to cry over her broken body.

**Rodriguez's penthouse.**

**Thursday, March 30th 2000**

**Midnight**

Tempus casually checked his pocket watch, and saw that it was time. He then picked up a large hourglass, and slowly poured some of the sand into a cauldron. The cauldron threw out a quick flash of flame, and suddenly something incredible happened.

Tempus watched from the large windows, as the moon and the cars on the street below suddenly reversed direction as if they were a VHS tape on rewind. The moon quickly vanished, replaced by the sun as it moved in reverse as well; until it was just peaking above the horizon.

The old demon just waited.

Rodriguez then appeared in the center of the room. He was in the death throes of pain and agony, as the effects of the energy ball dissipated around him. He then collapsed, as the smoke cleared.

Tempus looked down at him. "Hurts to die, doesn't it? Especially at the hands of a witch."

"What happened?" Rodriguez demanded weakly, as he got up. "Where am I?"

"Exactly where you were when all this started," Tempus told him. "Time has been reset; or rather, I have reset time."

Rodriguez was completely confused. "But...but they killed me."

As if it was of no consequence Tempus shrugged. "That was Wednesday night. This is Wednesday morning, all over again. This is why I have been sent to you, to keep resetting time until you learn from your failures. Only you will carry with you the memory of what has happened before. And each time you fail, you will learn more - until ultimately, you kill all of them."

**Halliwell Manor.**

**Wednesday, 29th March 2000**

**8 a.m.**

In the morning outside the manor, a paperboy tossed the paper on to the porch.

Inside the manor...an attractive, and blond, Weather Girl's voice came from the small 13-inch TV on the counter. "Good morning, San Francisco. Well, it looks like it's going to be a beautiful Wednesday today..."

Cordelia paid her no attention, as she stood in her pajamas talking into the cordless phone. "Piper, what are you doing at Quake? It's like 8:00..." She stopped for a moment, unsure. "...in the morning."

"Morning," Prue called out, as she entered the kitchen with the newspaper.

Cordelia covered the phone, as she returned the greeting. "Morning," Cordy said, before she spun to Prue, "Hey, wait a minute."

Before she could say anything more, a noise made her look back. She saw that Kit had just knocked over the large pepper shaker on the counter, and was playing with it. "Whoa," she said, eyes wide. "I am freaking out!"

Cordelia then spoke back into the phone, "Okay. I'll be there in an hour." Then she quickly hung up.

"Be where in an hour?" Prue inquired, as she looked at Cordelia strangely.

Cordy just paused for a few moments. "Okay. Pinch me."

"What?"

"No. I mean it. Pinch me," she told her sister. "I want to make sure I'm awake because if I am, I am having one killer case of déjà vu."

"So it's just déjà vu," Prue shrugged. "Everybody gets it."

Cordelia shook her head emphatically "No, not like this they don't. Look, Prue...something weird is going on here."

Prue ignored her, once she saw the paper. "I don't believe this."

Cordelia misunderstood her completely, "No. I'm...just trust me. This has happened before. Everything."

"I'm talking about the paper. Did you see the front page?" Prue asked.

"See?" Cordelia said, as she leaned on the back of a chair. "Like that. Right there. You said that before. I know it." They both then heard a car crashing. "And that's happened before, too."

Prue looked at her quickly. "Where did you park my car last night?"

Cordelia got rather aggravated, "In the driveway! And I told you that already, the last time you asked me."

Prue didn't totally trust her, and ran to check anyway. As she did so, Cordelia whispered to herself, "I think I'm having an aneurysm..."

Soon enough, Prue was looking out the window in the living room all over again. The oldest Halliwell pulled back the drapes to look out and then said, "Mrs. Henderson's car. Just a little fender bender, no big deal."

Once that was settled, Cordelia went back trying to convince her something was off-kilter. "Prue, I am not nuts. Okay, maybe just a little, but Xander likes to call it my...Cordy-ness."

Prue was hardly even listening to her. "Cordelia, Andy's in trouble."

"What?" she frowned. "Let me see that," the female teenager said, already knowing the effect it would have. And as expected, she got the premonition. "I knew it! That was the premonition I had before."

"Of what?"

She tried to soften the blow, "Of Andy, here, being killed by a demon."

**Interrogation Room C, SFPD stationhouse.**

**The same time as before**

Recently suspended Police Inspector Andy Trudeau was sitting and talking to his partner. Darryl was more then just a tad upset, "If you ask me, I wouldn't be surprised if Rodriguez was the one who whacked his..."

He didn't get to finish the sentence this time around, before Rodriguez barged into the room. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.

Darryl didn't even look towards him. "I'm backing my partner; you got a problem with that?"

"Get out now!"

Morris looked at him in stunned silence for a moment, before he tried to lunge at the so-called I.A. Inspector. (Friggin' asshole!)

Andy was just fast enough to hold him back. "It's okay, Darryl, I got it."

A long time seemed to pass, as Morris got up and his eyes seemed to want to bore a hole in Rodriguez as he left. (I'm keepin' an eye on you. You're dirty, I can smell it!)

As soon as the door was closed, Andy put his feet up on the table. "Just for the record, I'm not saying anything without my lawyer present."

"Forget your lawyer, Trudeau," Rodriguez told him in great anger. "I'm not screwing around this time."

"This time?" Andy asked, looking at him strangely. "What are you talking about?"

The demon/Inspector went up to him, and got right in Andy's face. "Bottom line, I know my partner was killed by a supernatural being, and I think Prue Halliwell can help me figure out who did it!"

"Really?" Trudeau said calmly for a moment, before he went with the mocking. "Well, I'll just get the Commissioner to signal Batman, and then I'll get right on it." He tried to get up, but Rodriguez forcefully shoved him back in his seat.

"Do you think I'm joking? I know everything, Trudeau, everything - including the fact that Prue Halliwell is a witch. Now you're gonna arrange a meeting with her tonight, you understand, or else I'm gonna bust your ass and expose hers."

Before Andy could even react, Rodriguez turned and stormed out the door, nearly knocking Darryl over. "What was that about?" the black Inspector asked as he came in.

"I'm not sure," Andy told him, before he quickly grabbed his jacket and took off as well.

**San Francisco shopping district.**

**The same time as before**

Tempus was calmly rereading the paper, just waiting. When he felt the other demon nearby he looked down the sidewalk, to see Rodriguez grab the flower from the vendor and angrily tear it apart.

"Well...?"

Rodriguez tried to keep calm. "Trudeau will set up the meet. But what I need to know is how to avoid the pain of getting vanquished again!"

Tempus was vastly amused at the anger. "It depends on whether you learned enough to vanquish them first. What do you remember?"

The demon went over it quickly. "I killed the youngest one, Cordelia, without a fight. But then when I turned to kill Piper - I think she's the one who has the power to freeze."

The older demon quickly advised him, "Adjust, simply anticipate where she's coming from earlier before she has a chance to freeze you. Then kill her, and then Prue."

**Quake restaurant, North Beach, San Francisco.**

**The same time as before**

"Andy dies?" Piper asked her sister, shocked. "Are you sure that's what you saw?"

Cordelia quickly nodded. "Yeah, but even worse, I know that I've had that premonition before. I mean, before I had it earlier today."

"What? You mean like yesterday?" Piper asked.

"Yes...I mean, no," Cordelia told her. "It's not just the premonition that I've seen before, it's everything. And don't tell me that it's just déjà vu, because I know it isn't."

"Alright, then what is it?"

At that moment, a woman in what the old Cordelia would have called a 'power suit' came into the room. "Piper? Piper Halliwell?" the redheaded woman asked surprised, while Piper again stood behind her little sister to cover the marinara stain. "I would recognize you anywhere; you have not changed a bit!"

At the blank look, the woman laughed lightly. "You don't recognize me, do you? It's-"

"It's Joanne," Cordelia cut her off. "Joanne...Hertz, right? I'm right, aren't I?"

Joanne got a little agitated. "I'm sorry, have we met?"

"Yes...well, sort of. Before," the seer responded. "Uh, Baker High, class of '92. Although I wasn't in that class, as I was only 11 years old then."

Piper's expression changed, as she remembered the newcomer. "Oh, sure, of course, Joanne!" She turned back to her sister. "Cordelia, how do you-"

Cordy just whispered to her, "That's what I've been trying to tell you. I think we're trapped in some funky time loop here."

Piper looked at her, shocked, as the other woman dared mention that other world in front of a civilian. "Cordelia!" she fiercely whispered back.

"Freeze her. I'll show you."

Piper didn't understand what was going on, but she did what her sibling asked. "Okay, Joanne here," Cordelia started to say, "is the food network's segment producer. She's about to brag how she's happily married to some rich guy, how she's following her dream, how she's had a really bad nose job, blah blah blah."

She stopped and shrugged. "Okay, I added the last part, but I can't be the only one that can tell!" When Piper looked at her annoyed, Cordelia resumed, "This is all gonna make you feel like you're wasting your life away in comparison. Unfreeze her, go ahead - see for yourself."

Piper unfroze Joanne and asked, somewhat unsure, "Are you the segment producer?"

"Why, yes, I am," Joanne said, a little surprised.

"Following your dreams, are you?" Piper continued to press. "Happily married? Stinkin' rich?"

Joanne displayed a big, arrogant smile. "Well, I don't mean to brag, but-"

And she didn't, before Piper froze her again. "Alright Cordy, spill it."

"Okay, the best I can figure is some demon has cast a spell, and I'm the only one who can sort of see it - because my power lets me see things that have happened in different times." When Piper looked doubtful, the brunette added, "Do you have a better explanation?"

Piper shook her head. "No. If you're right, do you think this has something to do with Andy being killed?"

Cordelia said, exasperated, "I don't know, but we're never gonna find who the demon is unless we get to-"

Piper agreed, "Book of Shadows, I'm right behind you!" So saying, the duo quickly left the frozen Joanne behind.

**Unknown San Francisco city park.**

**The same time as before**

Prue and Andy were standing near the large porch swing hanging from a tree that they'd used to come to, when they were dating in high school.

Andy didn't like this. "But if he is a demon, and it turns out to be a trap..."

"Then I'll have Piper and Cordelia there to back me up," Prue told him. "The power of three."

Andy frowned. "What about Harris?"

Prue shook her head. "He's not here right now. There's some out-of-town demon emergency-" And as soon as it came out of her mouth, Prue looked away for a moment.

"What is it?" asked her beloved.

Prue looked confused. "This seems a little familiar to me, that's all, kinda like déjà vu." But she let it drop, "Never mind. Andy, before you say anything, you can't be at the meeting. Cordelia's premonition said that's where you were, when...just promise me that you'll stay away."

He moved closer to her. "Prue, I can't do that."

"I mean it. Don't make me use my magic on you!" They shared a small smile at that. "Andy, I don't want anything to happen to you. You know how much I still love you."

He looked into her eyes for a moment. "No, I didn't," he told her, before they hugged each other. And Trudeau never saw the worried look on her face.

**On the street outside the Manor.**

**The same time as before**

Andy had been sitting in his car, staked out in near the manor, for a few hours now. He ducked when he saw Rodriguez pull up. After a beat he looked out to see Kit, who was sitting on the railing by the sidewalk, hiss as Rodriguez walked by. The cop was confused at how much hostility that the maybe-demon showed, as he glared at the feline.

Inside the manor Prue, Piper and Cordelia were converged around a small round table, looking over the Book of Shadows. "Is there anything in there about time loops?" Piper asked.

Cordelia flipped back to a page she had marked. "There's a spell to accelerate time, but that's about it," she growled in frustration. "I'm telling you, this is all part of his evil plan. I just haven't had enough time to figure it out yet-"

"You need the other half of your brain back, huh?" Piper asked her with amusement.

Cordelia smiled softly. "We're just good at figuring stuff out together. But of course, good old Super-Slayer Buffy couldn't handle it on her own-" The ringing of the doorbell interrupted her rant.

"What time is it?" Prue asked quickly.

Piper checked her watch. "Just before six."

The doorbell rang three more times rapidly. Cordelia rolled her eyes, "I'll get it!" As she moved for the door, the other two took up their positions.

Piper turned back to look in from the sitting room, when she heard the doorbell yet again. She then heard the door slam open, and was stunned at the sight of her youngest sister flying across the other room. She ran in and yelled, "Cordelia!"

Her sudden distraction turned out to be her undoing, as Rodriguez fired off an energy ball before she could raise her hands to freeze him.

The middle sister flew across the room, shattering the glass doors to the solarium. She landed in a horrible heap, halfway into the other room. And unfortunately like Cordy, she did not get up again.

Prue reacted on pure instinct, as she used her powers to toss the energy ball Rodriguez threw at her right back at him. She didn't even watch, as the demon was electrocuted and vanquished by his own weapon. Prue just ran to Cordelia, lying motionless at the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh my God, no!" she said, shaking her sister. "Cordelia!" After a few moments of getting no response, the oldest sister ran to the fallen Piper. "Piper! Come on, wake up!"

Prue held her sister close, as she got no response from her either. "No...this can't be happening!"

**Rodriguez's penthouse.**

**Thursday, March 30th 2000**

**Midnight**

Tempus shook his head in annoyance, as he poured more sand into the cauldron. After the bright flash, he didn't even bother watching as the world outside the window went into rewind again.

As before, Rodriguez appeared as the energy ball's effects wore off. "Son of a bitch!" he yelled in anger and pain. His face was flushed with sweat, but nonetheless looked pissed.

"Failed again, I see."

Rodriguez's anger only grew. "Yeah, but I learned. This time I got two of them." He drew out a cruel smile. "Third time's the charm."

**Halliwell Manor.**

**Wednesday, 29th March 2000**

**8 a.m.**

In the morning outside the manor, a paperboy tossed the paper onto the porch - not knowing a thing, about how old the routine was getting.

Inside the manor...an attractive, and blond, Weather Girl's voice came from the small 13-inch TV on the counter. "Good morning, San Francisco. Well, it looks like it's going to be a beautiful-"

Cordelia cut the girl off, as she grabbed the remote and shut the TV off. Then she talked into the phone in her other hand, "No, don't tell me, I already know. You spilt marinara sauce on your dress, right? Am I right? Think, Piper, think. Doesn't all of this seem awfully familiar to you?"

"Morning," Prue called out, as she entered the kitchen with the newspaper.

Cordelia spun to face her. "Freeze!" She went back to the phone, "No, not you Piper!" The 19-year-old nudged Prue, and pointed to the counter. "Kit knocks over the pepper shaker. Meows."

Prue gave her a very uneasy look, as Kit did exactly what Cordelia said she would. "Hold that thought." Then she quickly spoke into the phone, "Piper, you need to get home as soon as you can, okay, we've got major demon hunting to do. Oh, and if you run into someone named Joanne from high school, just tell her to go stick it. I'll explain later, just hurry."

"Okay, what's going on?" Prue demanded.

Cordelia just grabbed her arm, and ran with her to the sitting room. She plopped Prue down in front of the window, as she held open the drapes. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1...car honks."

A car honked.

"It skids," Cordy continued.

A car skidding was heard.

"Crashes."

Prue watched the car slide into the neighbor's parked one. She turned to Cordelia, absolutely stunned, but her little sister kept going, "Mrs. Henderson's car. A little fender bender. Good thing I parked your car in the driveway last night, huh?"

"Cordelia..." Prue stammered, walking towards her. "How did you know all that was going to happen?"

"Because this has all happened before, Prue," Cordelia told her, as she began to pace. "Maybe even more than once. The day keeps repeating itself. I know it, and every time it happens - I think I figure it out just a little bit faster."

The young woman stopped to consider it carefully. "It must be my power of premonition. Premonition...oh! I'm supposed to be having a premonition right about now."

Prue was getting even more confused. "Supposed to? What do you mean?"

Cordelia looked at Prue's hands. "The paper. Look at the front page."

"Andy..." Prue said softy, as she read the headline to herself.

"Is in trouble. More than you know," Cordelia told her, resolute. "Prue. If I touch that paper, I'll have a premonition. The same one that I've had before. Where Andy gets killed right here, by a demon. You have got to believe me!"

Prue could hardly tear her eyes off the headline. "No, I believe you. The question is, what do we do about it?"

"Well, you've got to go warn Andy. Keep him away from our house at all costs," Cordy said as she took charge, much as she'd been the leader of the pack in high school. "Meanwhile, I've got to dig through the Book of Shadows, and try to find a way to vanquish this time demon before he can kill Andy!"

**San Francisco shopping district.**

**The same time as before**

On the other side of the clock store window Tempus was leaning against, an old clock made a loud ruckus as it announced the hour. However, it didn't get to finish as Rodriguez pulled out his gun and fired a round at it, shattering the device.

Tempus's annoyance at him grew visibly. "You really shouldn't have done that. You shouldn't do anything differently, if you want to succeed tonight."

But Rodriguez had had it. "I will succeed tonight, old man. There'll be no more time loops. This time, I'll kill Prue first and then the other two - and when they die, they're gonna feel every ounce of pain they've given me, and then some!"

**Quake restaurant, North Beach, San Francisco.**

**The same time as before**

Piper grabbed her purse from behind the counter. "Look, Joanne, I'm so sorry, but I can't do this segment right now. Um, something's happened, something bad, I have to go."

"What? Run out of marinara sauce?" Joanne asked smugly, as she examined Piper's top.

(To hell with it!) Piper thought. "Look, I know I don't have the flashy job or the flashy ring or the flashy designer suit, but that doesn't make me less than you or anybody else. And just because I may not have realized my dreams yet like you think you have, doesn't mean I won't find a way to do exactly that. And when I do, you can be damn sure I'll be doing it with my own nose, and not the one some discount doctor gave me!"

As she ran off, Piper missed Joanne quickly checking out her nose's profile in the mirror. "How could she tell?"

**Unknown San Francisco city park.**

**The same time as before**

"A time loop?" Andy asked, as he rubbed his temples. "You mean, demons can actually do that sort of thing?"

Prue didn't think so, and yet..."None that I've ever seen before, but if it is a demon, it's the most powerful one we've ever come up against."

"He's going through all this, just to kill me?" Andy looked at her. "No way, Prue. If he's as powerful as you say, then he's coming after you."

"Andy, please just let us handle this," she pleaded with him. "Whatever you do, you have to promise me that you'll stay away from the manor."

There was no way Andy was going to go for that. "I can't promise you that, Prue. If you're right and Rodriguez is the demon, then it's a trap."

"I'll have Piper and Cordelia there to back me up, alright, the power of three."

Andy frowned. "What about Harris?"

Prue shook her head. "He's not here right now. There's some out-of-town demon emergency..." And once more, the feeling of déjà vu, of impending doom hit Prudence Halliwell right in the gut. "The three of us can handle it-"

That in no way reassured her companion. "What if that's what he wants, Prue? All three of you together. What if that's the reason he set up this time loop?"

Prue gave him what some would call a 'resolve face'. "We'll just have to take our chances."

"You could get killed, Prue!"

"I mean it. This is not your fight. Don't make me use my magic on you!" Then her tone went from stern to gentle. "Andy, I would die if anything happened to you. I love you."

He never hesitated for an instant. "I love you too."

As they hugged, Prue buried her face in Andy's shoulder.

**On the street outside the Manor.**

**The same time as before**

Andy had been sitting in his car, staked out near the manor, for a few hours now. He ducked when he saw Rodriguez pull up. After a beat he looked out to see Kit, who was sitting on the railing by the sidewalk, hiss as Rodriguez walked by.

The cop was shocked at what happened next.

Rodriguez spun to face the cat, his face contorted in rage. Kit quickly turned and ran off, when Rodriguez's eyes turned a dark inhuman red color.

All of Andy's training and instincts kicked in at that moment. "Oh my God! Prue!" He pulled out his pistol and ran for the house, only seconds behind Rodriguez.

Inside the manor Prue, Piper and Cordelia were converged around the small round table, looking over the Book of Shadows. The book was open to a page with a drawing of an hourglass, and the word 'TEMPUS' in large red letters.

Cordelia read aloud from it, "Tempus, the devil's sorcerer. He can manipulate time any way he chooses."

"Does it say how to vanquish him?" Piper asked.

Cordelia quickly scanned the rest of the text. "Uh, take him out of the time that he's in. Whatever the hell that means."

Rodriguez kicked open the door and fired off an energy ball, before he was even all the way inside. He was fast...but Piper was quicker. She shoved Prue down, just in time. Cordelia twisted her body too, barely in time as the energy left a scorch mark on the wall.

The two sisters with offensive powers were both down, but in that timeless second Andy burst in through the door. "NO!!" he yelled, and fired three times into Rodriguez.

The demon flinched from the bullets, but was only angered more as he threw a deadly energy ball at the Inspector point-blank.

"Andy!!" Cordelia screamed as their friend, and Prue's boyfriend, flew through the air...just as she had foreseen.

His body smashed into the large lighted display cabinet in the corner. The force was so great that it shattered the cabinet completely, and Andy never even felt it when his neck was snapped by the impact.

Piper got up off the floor. With a quick wave of her hand, Rodriguez was frozen in mid-windup to throw another energy ball. "Are you okay?" she asked Cordy.

Cordelia nodded, still in shock as she went over to her older sibling. "Uh-huh, but is Prue okay?"

"Yeah, she's out cold," Piper said softly, as she took a look. "She hit her head."

Then without a word, they both rushed over to where Andy was lying. The duo could see the blood from the glass shards, spilling onto the rug. Piper quickly checked for a pulse, but..."Oh my God. He's dead."

Cordelia tried but failed to fight back the tears, as she closed his eyes.

They had quickly tied up Rodriguez to a chair, before he unfroze. Now Piper was sitting near the still-unconscious Prue, as she tried to keep from crying about the death of a decent man she had known all her life; a boy she had grown up with, who her sister had dated and been meant to grow old with.

Cordelia, on the other hand, was all business. She growled at Rodriguez, "Listen up good, bozo. The only reason you're still alive, is because I haven't worked out how to kill you yet!"

Rodriguez just laughed at her. "Go ahead. Kill me, witch. I don't care," he told her smugly.

"Cordelia, what are you doing?" Piper demanded, as she pulled her aside.

"I'm trying to save Andy."

Piper looked at her, surprised. "Andy, Andy's dead. You can't save him, Cordy."

"No? We're in a time loop, aren't we? All we have to do is start the day over, and Andy lives again." She turned back to the captive demon. "And funnily enough, I'm willing to bet that his death somehow triggers the time loop."

"I'm impressed," Rodriguez had to admit. "I was told you wouldn't know that. Not that it matters, anyway."

Cordelia got a nasty grin on her face, the kind only those who had ever feared Queen C's wrath ever saw. "Really? Told by whom? Tempus?" Rodriguez quickly looked away. "Yeah, yeah, we know about him too. And we also know you're not him, otherwise you would of started the day again by now. So, where do we find him?"

The smug look came back, full force. "In your nightmares. Kill me. I dare you."

Piper pulled Cordelia away, before she tried to rip him apart. "Why is he so willing to let us kill him?"

"Who cares?" Cordelia said, determined. "If he dies, Andy lives. End of story."

"What if that's exactly his plan?" Piper suggested. "To reset the day, and he can kill us all next time?"

"It doesn't matter," Rodriguez gloated. "The day's gonna reset itself anyway, there's not a damn thing you can do about it!"

Piper growled at him, "Shut up!" She grabbed Cordy's arm. "Come on, we have to wake up Prue."

"Prue. Prue? Come on, we need your help!" Cordelia tried to rouse her.

But in another place, Prue heard a very different voice.

**Unknown heavenly dimension.**

**A moment later**

"Prue. Prue. Come to me, Prue."

Prue Halliwell looked around in confusion. She found herself sitting on the large porch swing from the park, but she couldn't see what it was hanging from. In fact, the brunette couldn't see anything other than the swing and the blue-grey fog all around her.

The future photographer quickly saw a friendly face walk up to the swing, though. "Andy? What's going on? Where are we?"

Andy looked around, before he sat next to her. "I'm not quite sure, really. I hoped I'd end up here, but not so soon. One thing I do know is, that I'm staying. You're not."

"I don't understand."

Andy told her sadly, "I broke my promise, Prue. I came to your house tonight. Turns out, Cordelia's premonition was one you couldn't stop after all. Weren't supposed to stop."

She finally grasped what was going on. "Wait a minute, Andy, no!"

He reached over, and softy caressed her hair. "It's okay, Prue, really - trust me. This is my destiny. I know that now. Yours is to continue on. Everything happens for a reason, remember - you taught me that."

She looked at him, not wanting this to be true. "This isn't fair."

"You need to go back," Andy calmly told her. "You need to keep the time loop from being reset again, or else you and your sisters will be killed. And I will have died in vain."

Prue's look grew very dark. "I'll kill Rodriguez for this!"

"No you won't," her man quickly told her. "You're not a murderer, Prue, you're a good person who does good things."

"I don't want to lose you," the poor woman said, as her hand grasped the one caressing her hair.

"Don't worry. You won't, you can't," They leaned in for a last kiss. "I'll always be there for you, Prue."

And then he was gone.

**Halliwell Manor, San Francisco, California.**

**A moment later**

She finally heard Cordelia's voice. "Prue, come on, honey. Prue?"

"Prue, come on, wake up, sweetie!" Piper then tried. They both breathed a sigh of relief as Prue woke up, and they slowly helped her up.

"Easy, not so fast," Cordelia told her big sister.

There was only one thing on Prue's mind. "Where's Andy?"

"Prue, something terrible has happened," Cordelia told her softly, her heart breaking in anguish.

The eldest sibling could hardly think, as she saw Andy lying on the floor covered by a blanket. "Oh my God."

Piper tried to explain, "It all happened so fast. He ran in through the door when Rodriguez attacked, he was trying to save us-"

Both sisters were surprised by the determination that came over their older sister then. "And he'll succeed. Where's the Book of Shadows?"

Cordelia grabbed it from the table. "Right here."

"Where's the spell that you saw to accelerate time?"

That got Rodriguez's attention "What are you doing?"

"Here," Cordelia said, as she flipped to the page.

Piper didn't like this. "But we don't want to accelerate time, we want to reverse it."

"No we don't, trust me," Prue told her, as she wiped a few tears away. "The only chance that we have to get rid of Tempus is to do this by breaking the time loop, okay?"

Cordelia didn't like it either. "But if we break the time loop, we won't be able to save Andy!"

Prue just looked past her, to Andy's body. "I know."

Piper wasn't ready to give up. "Prue, are you sure?"

"No I'm not," she said, as the head of the family got up. So before the eldest sister could rethink it she started reading the spell, 'Winds of time gather 'round, give me wings to speed my way-'"

"Wait a minute-" Rodriguez said, getting panicked.

"'Rush me on my journey forward, let tomorrow be today'."

Rodriguez glared at her. "What did you do?"

They all stared, as the grandfather clock's hands start to move blindingly fast. Hours went by in moments...

At Rodriguez's penthouse, Tempus saw the sun setting fast and quickly pulled out his pocket watch. Its hands were also zipping along, and stopped at 12:05 a.m.

He screamed once before getting swallowed by fire, and vanquished.

**Halliwell Manor.**

**Thursday, March 30th 2000**

**12:05 a.m.**

Piper asked, "What do we do with him?"

Prue looked to Andy's body in the other room, and back to Rodriguez. She remembered what Andy told her, "You know what, just untie him. Get him outta here."

The reaction to that was very negative. "What?" Cordelia demanded.

"He'll kill us!" Piper stated angrily.

But Prue didn't budge. "No he won't. He doesn't have the power to kill us; otherwise, he wouldn't have needed Tempus."

Cordelia looked at him and vehemently stated, "I will not untie him, Prue!"

So Prue waved her hand, and used her power to untie the evil thing. And as he got up she told the demon, "Get out of here before I change my mind."

Rodriguez looked at her with pure hate. "You stupid witch!"

He smugly walked towards the door, but then stopped. He turned around, his eyes back to their demonic red, and looked at them for a split second - before Rodriguez threw an energy ball right at Prue's head.

Prue just raised her hand, and her power deflected the ball right back at the demon. He died screaming by his own weapon, again. Permanently this time.

Prue looked at her sisters. "We may not be murderers; but we're no angels either."

Cordelia and Piper put their arms around each other for support, as they watched Prue. Their older sister walked over to Andy's body and held nothing back, as she wept over his now-cold corpse.

**1630 Revello Drive, Sunnydale, California.**

**Thursday, March 30th 2000**

**12:10 a.m.**

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Buffy asked the young man. "'Cause I can be there in the morning."

Riley Finn shook his head, as he leaned on the banister in the entryway. "It's just a debriefing. They're not gonna make me disappear, and they're not pinning anything on me. I got Graham and a lot of the guys testifying I'm the reason they're alive. I might actually get out of this with an honorable discharge."

"In return for your silence, no doubt," Giles chimed in.

"Oh yeah," Riley told him. "Having the inside scoop on the administration's own Bay of Mutated Pigs is definitely an advantage."

Willow giggled a little. "It's like you're blackmailing the government. In a...patriotic way," she quickly added, before she followed Tara into the living room.

"Oh, I'm sure they're used to blackmail," Xander said acidly. "Granted though, most of the time, they're the ones doing it."

Buffy glared at Xander; she had no idea why he had been so hostile to Riley ever since arriving back, but she and Willow were determined to find out. Along with convincing him to move back home where he belonged, of course.

"I'll call you when it's over," Riley told her, ignoring Xander's comment before he kissed his woman goodbye. "And, you guys have fun tonight!" He quickly extended his hand to Joyce as well. "It was very nice meeting you."

The Slayer's mom shook his hand back. "It was nice meeting you...finally."

Riley nodded. "Bye," he said as he left.

"Bye!" Buffy told him as she shut the door. But as soon as it was closed, she spun on her Xander-shaped friend. "Alright, spill Xander!"

Xander just shook his head. "It's private stuff, Buffy. Nothing to do with you." When the blonde Champion showed him that annoyed look that he remembered so well, Harris then added, "And so help me God, if you so much as mention it's like Angel all over again-"

"I wasn't going to say that..." Buffy stammered, even though that was exactly what she'd been going to say. "Xander, look, it's time we put all that behind us - right?"

"Fine with me," Xander shrugged. "What's new with Deadboy, anyway? Haven't heard squat about him in nearly a year."

Buffy looked away. "He's - not good. This detective agency he set up is having trouble. His home and office kind of blew up. Wesley and their friend Tina were in the hospital for awhile."

Xander grimaced. "No one can catch a break anymore can they? Wait, what's Wesley doing in-"

He was cut off, by the sound of his own cell phone ringing. Harris took one look at the screen, before he went into another room.

"Let me guess," Willow said, very displeased. "It's Cordelia calling?" She looked at her best friend, "I swear, Buffy, it's like she has some way to know whenever we try to talk to him! Then again, she's a seer, that may be more likely than not..."

"Girls," Giles said sternly. "Let's let it drop for now, okay?"

Willow was about to protest, when Xander came back in. And she could tell he was not the bearer of good news. (Oh, no...)

"I've got to get back to San Francisco. Sorry guys, but I'm going to have to skip movie night," Xander said, checking his watch.

"But you just got here!" Willow cried. "I mean you can't just come down, help stop a cyborg killing machine and then take off again. We haven't talked since forever!"

He tried to interrupt her, "Look, Willow, we can maybe start emailing..."

"And besides," the redhead kept going. "Someone you know wanted to come by and say hi."

Xander just gave her an odd look. "What? I thought you said Oz had left town!"

"Not him," Buffy said shortly.

"Then who?" he asked, unsure where this was going.

There was a knock at the door, and Buffy opened it right away. And when Xander saw who it was, he did a double take.

There in the doorway was a girl, or rather former demon, that he hadn't seen since before Graduation. Anya Jenkins was there, dressed in skin-tight red leather pants and a very low-cut top. Basically, she was looking like a damned sexy clone of Faith.

"Anya?" he asked her in semi-confusion. "When did you get back into town?"

"Oh, not long ago," she told Xander, as the woman quickly came over and linked her arm around his. "Does that cover the small talk part?"

"What?!"

She just looked at him. "Well, I'm not really sure what constitutes the minimum amount of small talk that's socially acceptable these days. But since you're a male, I figure that should be sufficient. Now, I have a place near here, where you can remove my unnaturally painted cow skin pants-"

Xander yanked his arm free. "Excuse me?!"

"That was an invitation for us to have sex-" Anya started to say, but he cut her off.

"Yeah, I know what it was!" Xander looked at Willow scathingly. "Blind date?"

Willow tried to play it off. "What? She likes you. Why shouldn't a girl help set up her best friend?"

"Look, not now okay?! Because a good cop I knew and respected has just died!" Xander said angrily, as he grabbed his jacket off the hanger on the wall.

Everyone else was stunned, as the 19-year-old guy turned to face his almost Prom date. "Look, Anya, I'm sure you're a great girl. And with all your centuries of experience, odds are you can do some really mind-blowing stuff. But it's equally obvious the only thing you want from me, is a sex poodle or something like that. If this were a few years ago...or even nine months ago...I think we'd have hit it off. But here and now, I have something else going on that-"

"Oh, so Cordelia is giving you orgasms!" Anya stated.

"What? No!" He looked to all three of the girls in the small entryway. "Look, I have to go, like I said; we've just lost one of the good guys back home. Tell G-man and Joyce goodbye for me; and just email me or something, if you wanna talk. Giles has the address." He opened the door to leave, when Anya asked...

"Is that so we can engage in cybersex? I have heard that can be immensely fun, you know."

"Aghhhh!" Xander yelled in aggravation, as he closed the door behind him.

Buffy and Willow looked at each other. "Guess it was worth a try," Willow said, hurt and yet feeling very sorry for Xander's loss at the same time.

As they went into the living room to join the others, Anya looked perturbed. "But you guys said he would give me orgasms!"

However, when no one paid her any attention, the 1120-year-old just stormed out of the house. Anya then noticed a masculine specimen around her own age walking down the sidewalk across the street, so she quickly ran over to him. "Hey, you...you're a male of the species!"

The guy turned in surprise, to see the leather-clad goddess of a woman come up to him. "Do you have a girlfriend?" Anya asked him bluntly.

"Ah, no..." he said, trying to keep his eyes on her face.

"I can see that you like the sight of my breasts. Do you deny this in any way?" Anya asked him.

"I'm sorry, I-I-I didn't mean to stare..." the young man stammered.

"Oh, don't worry about that," she waved him off. "We have more important matters to discuss."

"Really? Uh, not that I'm complaining, but - why would someone like you, want to talk to someone like me?" he asked.

"You said you have no girlfriend, and we are within the same apparent age bracket. Your hand and shoe size are also likely indicative of a large penis-" She stopped. "You don't suffer from any form of erectile dysfunction, do you? Like that old man on TV?"

"No!" the guy said very quickly.

"Good!" she told him, beaming. "Then you'll do."

"Do for what?"

"Well, I tried to get the male that I've wanted for a while now to give me pleasing orgasms, but he seems to still be stuck on his previous partner. The whole thing was getting ridiculous and old!" She linked her arm with his. "So I just thought to hell with all that, and I get my own man already. Well - a plaything to start out with, anyway."

"Plaything!?"

"Yes, I need you to give me as many orgasms as your weak and inferior male anatomy can possible handle, for the next 50 years or whatever."

"Okay, uh, look..."

"Excellent!" Anya smiled happily, as she steered him towards her apartment. "What is your name, by the way?"

"Ah..." he stuttered. "Jon...Jonathan. Levinson."

"Very well, Jonathan Levinson," the centuries-old woman said, before they turned the corner. "What are your feelings on role-playing, spanking and bondage games? I've read that they can be quite fun and enjoyable."

**Bayside Cemetery, San Francisco, California.**

**Saturday, April 2nd 2000**

**3 p.m.**

The SFPD honor guard and the other mourners finally left, and Prue was able to be alone with Andy's casket before it was lowered into the ground. She placed a single red rose on its lid, before she softly started saying her good-byes to her soul mate. Hoping that wherever he was, the dearly departed could hear her last farewell.

In the distance, giving her some privacy, stood four people dressed in black. Darryl and Piper comforted each other, while Cordelia clung to Xander; who had his right arm firmly around her waist.

(Life can be so damned short and precious,) the former Chase girl thought to herself, in between the tears. (What was it Buffy said to Willow, all those years ago? Oh, right, carpe diem. Seize the day...)

Cordelia Halliwell then made a silent promise to herself, as she watched her older sister from afar. (There's no point pretending anymore. Possible future whitelighter or not, I know where my destiny lies now.)

Of course, the former May Queen knew she wasn't ready to begin a relationship with Xander again, at least not right at this moment; she couldn't give herself to him mind, body and soul tonight, however...tempting the concept was. Because if she tried, they would only end up bitter enemies once more.

But someday, they would be together, and the brunette knew that he would wait for her. Cordy didn't know how she knew this, she just knew it.

Come what may in this new life that she, no - that they both had, they would face each challenge as best they could...together.


	5. Chapter five

(**Author's Notes:** Again thanks to the transcript people. Also, since I will not be redoing every single episode of Charmed in this fanfic, I will be doing it like the TV show. The 'Previously on Second Life' parts will tell bits from past episodes that are possibly important to the storyline. Also, be warned - I will be going very much against canon, after another chapter or two. This chapter is more of a Cordy ep, while the next one is for sure a Xander ep. The 'Previously' section is from the Charmed episode called "Witch Trial", and the main chapter is from the ep "Morality Bites")

**Chapter Five**

**San Francisco, California. July, 2000**

**Previously on Second Life...**

In the foyer of the Halliwell manor, Cordelia looked dismayed as Prue and Piper turned and started to leave the room. "Wait, come on you guys! Where are you going?"

Prue held up her cell phone. "Well, I have an auction coming up at Buckland's, so I have clients to call."

"And I was going to..." Piper trailed off, as she saw how Cordelia was glaring at them. "What?"

"Don't you two even know what tomorrow is?" the youngest sister asked, annoyed. "It's our one-year anniversary of becoming witches! I mean, hello?"

Piper looked surprised. "What? Really? Are you sure?"

"Oh, yeah - trust me, Piper," Xander said nonchalantly, from his place on the steps. "She doesn't lie about that sorta thing, and you never want to forget an anniversary with Cordelia. Heck, I still have the scratch marks from her nails when I forgot our-"

Cordelia turned to him quickly. "Zip it, doofus!" Then she turned back to her sisters. "Come on, this is major! It's our anniversary!

---

"Hey, Jenny!"

The 14-year-old girl looked to see her neighbor hop out of his car. She quickly went down the steps to meet him, "You got 'em?"

The man handed her a plain paper bag; while looking around for people as if it was a drug deal. She took it, and quickly opened it. Gasping in delight, Jenny said, "You didn't have to get me a three-pack!"

Xander just shrugged. "It was a bulk-buy store. And that is the correct one, right?"

The teenage girl nodded, as she looked at the packages. "Gosh, thanks!" Jenny said, as she hugged him. "You're the best, Xander. Now, if I could just get my uncle to buy the right ones..."

"Well, there were some advantages to being considered 'one of the girls' when I was growing up," Xander told her with a grimace, shrugging away bad memories. "And Dan's a great guy, but my money says this won't be the last tampon run I'll be going on..." (How Cordy talked me into this, I swear I will never understand!)

---

Up in the attic, Piper and Cordelia watched as Prue placed the Book of Shadows on its stand. "There, that's more like it. Back where it belongs."

Piper looked over to the triquetra symbol drawn with chalk on the far wall. "Well, all I can say is, I'll feel better once we erase that window. I don't want anymore demons coming through it!"

"They can't," Cordelia reminded her. "It's our window, not theirs."

"Still, better safe than sorry," Piper said, as she grabbed a rag and headed over to the wall. "Especially if we can expect any more demons like Abraxas anytime soon!"

Prue stopped flipping through the Book to the page they had last looked at, before the mystical tome had been stolen. "Well, apparently we can..." She began to recite, "Rite of Passage. Fight it with the Power of One, or else...a more powerful evil that awaits will destroy you."

Cordelia just groaned. "Wow. I'm so glad I didn't finish reading that yesterday! I might have changed my mind, about not wanting to give up our powers."

Shaking her head, Prue looked at her sister. "No, you wouldn't have. Xander was right - you like being a witch too much, Cordy. And you help remind me that I like being one too," she finished with a smile, which Cordelia returned.

"Hey, me three!" Piper chimed in, as she walked back to them. "Too bad it doesn't pay all the bills, though."

With a conspiratorial look, Cordelia turned to Prue. "Did you get it?"

"Mm-hmm," the oldest sister answered.

Piper wasn't sure that she liked the looks these two were sharing. "Get what?"

Prue just handed her a check from her pocket. "What's this?" the middle sister asked, as she flipped it over. Then Piper's eyes nearly bugged out, "Sixty thousand dollars!? Where the hell did you get this?"

"Business equity loan," Prue told her. "Cordelia and I took out a mortgage on the house, to help you buy your club."

"Actually, our club technically!" Cordelia pointed out, grinning.

"Right," Prue confirmed. "As long as you don't mind being partners with your sisters."

Piper was overcome by emotion, as she drew them into a hug. "Thank you!"

They all stopped, when the trio heard the voice of their dead grandmother. "The Power of Three."

The pages on the Book of Shadows started flipping by themselves again, causing the siblings to look over to it. And when they did, the ghost of Penelope Halliwell appeared in a sprinkling of golden lights.

"Grams?" Prue asked, trying to hide her huge surprise. Cordelia just gaped. She had only met her late grandmother once, during the big Nicholas the warlock affair several months ago.

Penny kept the golden glow and see-through appearance. "Hello, my darlings. Oh, it's nice to see you; or rather, it's nice being seen by you."

"But-but-but how is this..." Piper stuttered.

"Possible?" Grams finished for her. "All things are possible, my dear. It's just simply a matter of your being able to do them," she said matter-of-factly.

"Wait, so you're the one that keeps turning the pages in the Book?" Cordelia demanded, getting over her brief panic attack. The last time she had seen her grandmother, she'd been alive. Well, granted that was in 1980, when she'd been just baby Cordelia in her mother's womb at the time...

Grams nodded to her. "Just my way of looking after you. As best I can, anyway."

Suddenly, Xander entered through the door to the attic. "Hey guys, I just wanted you to know-" Then he saw the spectral figure near the Book. "Whoa! Is this a situation where 'who you gonna call?' need apply?"

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Will you knock it off for once? It's not every day a girl has to introduce you to her dead grandma!"

Penny Halliwell smiled and laughed, as she looked him over, "There's no need for you to do that, my darling. I remember everything you told me and your mother, about this particular boy..."

Xander looked uncomfortable; he never liked being the topic of any sort of 'girl talk', even if the talk had taken place in the early 1980's. "Look, Mrs. Halliwell-"

"It's Grams, dear. Just like for any of my three granddaughters."

Harris shrugged. "Okay then, Grams. Uh, first things fist - what's the sitch? I mean, how come you're here?"

"Because I was meant to be here, at this time." Her tone changed when Penny saw the looks on all their faces. "Don't try to understand this. You're not ready yet. But the fact that you could hear me before, and can see me now, means that someday you might be able to. Be good to each other. I love you all..."

And with that last message, her spirit vanished into the golden lights from whence it had come. As she did so, the Book flipped over a few pages to stop on a new one, a moment later.

Xander and all three sisters quickly went over to the Book of Shadows, to see what page it had landed on. A page that had been blank before, now had a simple message that caused the women to wrap their arms around each other again.

In blue eloquent handwriting were the words, "Happy Anniversary, My Darlings".

---

**And now...**

**A street near Nob Hill, San Francisco, California. July 15, 2000**

"Stop! Police!"

Xander heard the shout, as he exited the small bookstore. He looked along the sidewalk and saw a masked man with a gun running from several cops, and they were heading right to him.

The former soldier quickly hid behind the wall between the store's entryway and the sidewalk. In moments, he heard the heavy footsteps of the running criminal. Xander then wound up and lashed out with the two old hardcover books in his hand. His aim was just a guess - but he was able to hit the guy in the face anyway, knocking him to the ground.

Harris then quickly stomped his foot down hard on the robber's hand, to keep him from using the gun. (Sorry pal, but I don't feel like getting shot today.)

"Don't move!"

Xander looked up, to see two female plain-clothes police officers having their guns trained on both him and the robber. One quickly bent down to grab the gun, while the other covered her.

"Morning ladies," Xander said calmly as he raised his hands. "Don't worry, I've got him."

The shorter-haired of the two took the perp's wrists in a lock and flipped him over to cuff him. "Thanks for the help I guess, mister."

As her partner handed the guy off to a uniformed officer, the one with longer hair said, "Yeah. But that was dangerous and stupid. He could have shot you!"

"He could have," Xander shrugged as he lowered his hands. "But if I'd done nothing, he could just easily have shot someone else on the street. Guy I knew called Andy Trudeau taught me that."

"Why am I not surprised that it's you?" an annoyed voice said from behind him.

Xander spun with a smile. "Daryl! How you doing, pal?"

The short-haired cop looked surprised. "You know this guy, sir?"

"Yeah," Inspector Daryl Morris said with a sour look. "Mind telling me how you just happened to be here?"

Xander looked at him, amused. "Oh, just getting in a little light reading..." He held up the two large books.

"You call that light reading?" the long-haired cop asked in disbelief, as she spied "Dante's Divine Comedy" and "The Collected Works of William Shakespeare".

"Compared to high school? This is a very light read. And as a plus, they're in English." He looked towards the black cop, "Now Daryl, are you going to introduce me to these two lovely ladies - or what?"

Inspector Morris sighed as he motioned to the long-haired woman, then the short-haired one. "Officer Bridges, and Officer McCabe. Officers, this is Xander Harris..." He then looked at the male teenager, "We're going to need a statement from you now, ya know."

Xander just shrugged. "Came out, heard some shouting, saw him with the gun, ducked and swung. That's my statement in a nutshell."

---

**Halliwell Manor Kitchen. A few minutes later**

"So, does it sound like a good idea?" Cordelia asked her oldest sister, from her spot upon the counter.

Prue mulled it over in her head. "How do you know these guys won't turn around and use it as more 'adult' entertainment, later on?"

"Don't worry," Cordelia responded. "There's going to be a usage contract, that I have to approve whatever they produce."

"Okay," Prue nodded, before taking a sip of her bottled water. "But have you talked it over with Xander yet?"

"Why?" Cordelia asked, confused. "It's my body. Besides - it's not like I'm posing for, say, Playboy!"

Her older sister looked at her, full of disbelief. "So, if this offer had been made to Xander...or a similar offer for Playgirl? You wouldn't want to talk it over with him? Come on, you two are almost joined at the hip these days! Even Jenny can tell."

Cordelia frowned a bit. "Okay, fine, I'll talk it over with the big dork." She quickly added, "But not today!"

"Why not today?" her oldest sister asked.

Cordelia's face took on a Cheshire cat-like grin. "Because today's the day Xander is finally going to work on the back yard!"

"Ah," Prue grinned back in understanding. "You want a nice, relaxing day of watching him dig with only his shorts on."

"Well, someone should be there to help him...ah, put some sun block on his back?" Cordelia shrugged, trying to keep a straight face. "Plus, I recently got this great white bikini I want to tease him with a little, while I get some sunbathing in."

The conversation was suddenly halted, when Piper walked in with a bag of groceries. The duo first noticed the odd way their sister was walking, because she was carrying one of her shoes.

Then they noticed the smell. "What the hell did you buy?" Cordelia asked, plugging her nose.

"Doody!" Piper exclaimed, very annoyed.

Prue got a whimsical look on her face. "We weren't out of that..."

"No," Piper told them in annoyance, as she held up her shoe. "I stepped in it again! That man has turned our front gate into a puppy minefield!" She moved for the door to the backyard, and put it on the step outside.

Cordelia suddenly got very irate. "I cannot believe that guy still lets his dog do his business, right in front of our house!"

"Yeah, well, we've left notes," Prue reminded her.

Piper's frustration showed. "And that's gotten us nowhere!"

A hint of the old Queen C started to rise in Cordelia. "Well, I've had it! The next time I catch him in the act, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind..."

A dog barking out front caused their heads to turn as one. "That couldn't be," Piper said in disbelief.

Cordelia growled, "Oh, I hope it is!"

The three then ran to the living room window. Well, hobbled in Piper's case! They then pulled back the curtain, and Piper was instantly dismayed. "That's them! That's the guy and his dog. I can't believe it..."

All three sisters stared dumbfounded, as the man seemed to actually move his dog into position, with the leash right in front of their walkway.

"That is so rude!" Prue said annoyed, as the dog started to crap on the street. "He's just gonna walk away-"

"Then don't let him," Cordelia demanded. "Use your magic."

Both her sisters looked back to her. Cordy went on, "Well, if you can't teach the dog new tricks, how about the owner? Just think of the money we'd save on carpet cleaning alone! I swear, Xander is going to kill someone if he has to rent that cleaner thingy again-"

Prue shook her head. "Cordy, we can't use our magic just to teach him or anybody else a lesson."

"Why not?" the youngest sister replied, trying to talk them into it. "It's for the greater good...I mean, that's our job, right? Think of it as...community service. We'd be doing our whole block a favor! This doesn't even rate on the personal gain playbook. Come on..." She opened a window. "Okay, Piper. Let him have it!"

"I hope he's not out of my range," Piper said, as she waved her hands in a particular motion. Sure enough, the guy and his dog both froze in place.

"Your turn, Prue," Cordelia then indicated.

The oldest Halliwell didn't move anything more than her hand, but that was more than enough. The dog droppings slid across the ground to under the man's left foot, which was suspended in midair.

"Nice shot!" Cordelia told her sister merrily, as the man unfroze. "An eye for an eye, a shoe for a shoe!"

The guy looked confused then angry, as he saw the droppings now cover the underside of his shoe. As he scraped them against the curb, he looked around. And when the dog owner looked back towards the manor - the sisters quickly ducked, letting the curtains fall back into place.

"Did he see us?" Prue asked, as she could thinly see him walk away through the curtains.

Cordelia just shrugged. "So what if he did? What's he gonna do? Cry witch?" She took another quick look to make sure the guy was gone, and then crossed over to the couch. "Well, we've done our good deed for the day. I think I deserve 15 minutes of channel surfing..." she drawled lazily, as the former cheerleader grabbed the remote and flipped on the TV.

"Who wants coffee?" Piper asked, as she picked up a bag of groceries she'd left by the front door.

"I'll grind," Prue called out, as she grabbed the last remaining bag and they both headed back into the kitchen.

Cordelia put her feet up, and started flipping through channels. She slid past a nature show, then a Judge Judy rerun, and stopped for a moment on ESPN. Within moments a segment about a baseball player, Cal Greene, hitting yet another grand slam started to play on the screen.

Causing the seer to get a premonition...

_A large wide-screen TV is showing a 40-ish man in a fancy suit, making a grand (and what looks like very righteous) speech. The date February 26th 2010 is shown, with LIVE on the other side of the screen. Suddenly, the man points off-screen, causing the camera to pan off in that direction._

_The next image is of the scared face of an older yet still beautiful Cordelia Halliwell, with much longer hair and what looks like a prison jumpsuit. She is tied to a pole of some kind. In the time it takes to go to a wider shot, the platform she's on bursts into flames. Her silent screams cause a huge smile to appear on the man's face, as older versions of Piper and Prue look on crying and holding each other._

Cordy's subsequent scream caused her sisters to run back into the room. "Cordelia, are you okay?" Prue asked as she sat on her left.

Piper added, "Take a deep breath, honey, it's alright..." as she sat to her right.

Cordelia let them guide her to a sitting position, and just looked at Piper with fearful eyes. "No, it's definitely not alright! I...I saw my future. I was being executed..." She looked at Prue and whispered, "Burned alive."

---

Xander grumbled, as he had to yet again watch his step to avoid the dog droppings on the sidewalk. (I wonder if I can get Leo to orb it all onto the guy's bed or something?) he thought, as the former Zeppo trudged up his home's steep walkway. (All the other neighbors pick theirs up, but does this asswipe ever bother? Noooo...)

"Hey, Piper!" Harris then said casually, as he came in through the front door.

The brunette woman flashed him a tense smile, before she tilted her head towards the living room, signaling Xander to follow her. As he set the books down on the padded bench along with his jacket, Xander heard Prue ask, "Why would a report about a baseball player trigger a premonition like that?"

"I don't know. All I know is, I could feel it...I could feel the fire. As if I was there," Cordelia's voice answered.

"Premonition? Fire?" Xander asked, as he came into the room. "What'd I miss?"

But as soon as he saw the look on Cordelia's face, Buffy's former White Knight went right over to the couch to sit next to her. "My upcoming death is apparently going to be a pay-per-view," Cordy told him, still looking freaked, as she leaned her head softly on his shoulder.

"And we were just standing there? That can't be right!" Piper commented.

"Still," Cordelia answered. "That's what I saw..."

Prue shook her head vehemently. "There's no way that we would let that happen, not in the past, present or future!"

"All right, that's it. Someone better start filling me in!" Xander snapped. He definitely didn't like this conversation, or where it appeared to be heading.

Cordelia looked up at him from her spot on his shoulder. "Premonition, and me being burned at the stake live on TV."

"What?!" Xander yelled. "No way in hell!"

"I mean..." Cordelia started. "What did I do? Or rather, what is it that I'm going to do?"

The doorbell ringing stopped the conversation for a moment. "That's Leo," Piper told them. "I'll get it."

As she left the room, Xander looked at Cordelia and Prue, "When is this supposed to happen, already?"

As the two sisters filled Xander in on the details, Piper opened the front door with a grin despite what was going on. "Hey, stranger."

"Oh, is that what I am now?" Leo asked, amused. He was dressed in his normal jeans, T-shirt and open button-top shirt; and was looking just scrumptilicious in the young witch's humble opinion.

"Playing hooky?" Piper Halliwell asked, as he came in.

"No, they're making me work tonight," he replied as they hugged. "So, I've got the afternoon off."

Piper grinned like crazy. "Mmm, the old 'gotta save the world' excuse again?"

Leo nodded, as she closed the door. "Like you've never had to use it." His face then fell, as the whitelighter noticed the look come over hers. "You're about to use it," he stated simply.

"Well, there's just something I have to do," Piper looked at her love, disappointed as well. "Maybe you could..." she trailed off, as Leo Wyatt suddenly looked up and seemed to be listening to something.

(Great. Just figures they would call him now,) Piper fumed silently. (Can't we ever catch a break here?)

But the guardian angel frowned at what he was hearing. "Now?" He then simply nodded, as the beings that only he could hear repeated their order.

"Uh...Leo?"

The man in question looked down at his beloved, his face trying not to show any disappointment. "It's okay, uh, you go. There's actually something I have to take care of, I guess."

"Well," Piper sighed. "We really need to talk about things, you know...like where we stand."

The whitelighter agreed. "Yeah, we do. Rain check?" he asked.

"That's what we do best..." the Charmed One told him, before they leaned in for a goodbye kiss. However, right in the middle of the kiss Leo orbed out - leaving her kissing empty air.

Piper opened her eyes and growled, "I hate it when he does that!"

---

**Halliwell Manor attic, San Francisco, California**

A mere moment later, Leo reappeared in the attic right in front of the Book of Shadows. He lifted his hands to just above the book, and when they started to glow the book flipped open and turned pages rapidly.

The whitelighter was quickly flipping through it magically to find the right page. He suddenly looked up sharply though when he heard Prue coming and asking someone, "So, what did he want?"

Leo quickly orbed out, but the book kept flipping through the pages.

"He cancelled our date," Piper told her companions as they trooped in, just missing Leo by a heartbeat. "He's working again."

"You mean, you didn't ask him what we should do?" Cordelia asked her.

"Yeah!" Xander said, agitated. "Because I think Cordy getting burned alive counts as a work-related thing, for my old boss here!"

Piper just shrugged. "He had to fly...literally." As the group got to the Book of Shadows she added, "You guys saw that, right? The pages were doing that flipping thing on their own again..."

Prue looked over the spell on the left-hand page. "It's a spell to take us to the future. Two time spells, actually. One to send us there, and one to bring us home. But apparently, we only get one shot..." She skimmed the lines. "Once we use it, they disappear."

Cordelia nervously shook her head. "Wait a minute, you guys. We almost died last time, going back into the past. I mean, meeting Mom and Grams was fun and all...but this is not something that you just do on a whim!"

"We're talking about your life, Cordelia."

Cordy nodded but said, "And I'm talking about yours, Prue. I'm just saying I think we should think this over some more-"

"Think it over!?" Xander demanded. "What the hell is there to think over?" He looked her directly in the eyes. "You were being burned alive, sweetheart! This isn't one of those things that you just accept and hope it all works out!"

Cordelia softened, when she saw his concern. "I know that, Xander," she told him, as the 19-year-old woman reached up and stroked his face with her hand. "And you know this terrifies me. But with Nicholas, we only barely vanquished him. I don't want another guy like him getting you..." She then looked towards her sisters. "Or either of you, because of me."

"Look," Prue murmured softly to her youngest sibling. "You had that premonition today, for a reason. It must mean that we're supposed to do something about it. And going to the future might be the only way to find out what you did, to put you on that pyre."

Xander took Cordy's hand and gently lowered it as he told Prue, "Look, guys, bottom line - I really don't care about the why here. I just care about making sure that that future doesn't come to pass. And believe me, whatever it takes - I'm willing to do it."

"We don't even know if it's something that I did. It could be a demon or a warlock that puts me there..."

"Yeah but Cordy honey, do you really want to wait to find out? Could you live with all that for the next ten years, hanging over your head that way?" the young man demanded.

Cordelia's answer was just a slow shake of her head. "Okay, then let's pack our bags," she finally told her sisters. "We go and try to figure out what happened, and hopefully come back with enough information to stop it."

"I'm coming too!" Xander declared. And when Cordelia looked at him sharply to object, Xander shut her up with a pre-emptive strike. "Don't even start with Buffy and Willow's "I don't want to see you get hurt" crap, Queen C. I may not be Witch Boy here, but you should damn well know that I'm not sitting on the bench for this one!"

Prue and Piper were going to object themselves, until they saw their sister lean in and hug Xander tightly. They didn't hear the words she whispered to him, but then they didn't have to; Prue just grabbed the Book, and brought it to the small table nearby. "We're gonna need a date, Cordy."

The girl in question thought for a moment before stating, "February 12, 2010. That's two weeks before the date I saw in my premonition." She sat down with Xander next to her, as she wrote the date on a piece of paper.

"All right," Prue agreed. "That should give us more than enough time to figure out what put you there."

"I wonder how I look," Piper said suddenly.

Cordelia just looked at her sister in confusion. "Piper, you look great, hot even, but this is hardly the time-"

"No!" the middle sister stated. "Not now. In the future! When we went back to 1980, we saw ourselves as kids, and now we'll be seeing ourselves walking around almost ten years older. All that vanquishing," she mused. "Think of the wear and tear that brings..."

"Okay," Prue said, as Cordelia held up the paper in one hand. "Everyone ready?" Three nods met her question, so she lit a mach and then put the paper on fire. All four quickly joined hands around the table, as the spell began.

"Hear these words, hear the rhyme," the oldest sister chanted.

Piper took over, "We send to you this burning sign."

Cordelia said her part quickly before the fire reached her hand, "That our future selves will find."

Prue finished the spell, "In another place and time."

Before the four could even blink, they were surrounded by glowing golden lights; and then, they all vanished. The burning paper landed in the bowl of water, with the absence of anyone to hold it.

---

**Halliwell Manor living room. February 26, 2010**

By magic, the golden lights reappeared in the living room. They hovered around for a moment as if looking for something, but only for a moment. The lights quickly made for the future Piper Halliwell, who was sleeping quietly on the couch.

And as they got directly above her, the lights spread out and the past Piper appeared. Her body then turned to match her sleeping future duplicate, and they merged together.

Leaving only the older Piper, who was on the couch.

"Mommy, mommy, mommy!" a little girl then said excitedly, as she ran into the room.

Piper slowly woke up, confused, as she rolled over and got up. "Ah," she said, looking at the girl who she guessed was about six or seven years old. "I think you have the wrong house, sweetie. Certainly the wrong mommy..."

This didn't faze the smiling girl, as she hugged Piper. "Stop fooling!"

When a car horn's honking was heard, the girl quickly let go and yelled, "Car pool!" She then quickly ran out of the room, to gather her things.

Piper just watched her go, utterly confused before she turned and looked into a mirror that was hanging in the attic during her time. "Ooh!" the witch gasped, as she felt the longer, fuller, curled black hair.

But then, she also noticed the gold wedding band on her finger. "Ooh!"

But before the middle sister could wonder too much about it, she saw the reflection of a muted plasma TV in the mirror. Piper spun around horrified, when she saw an image of Cordelia with CGI flames around it. "Cordelia!"

She looked around frantically. "Where's the remote? I need volume!"

A mechanical voice spoke though the speakers. "Command recognized."

"Huh?" Piper asked, but then quickly listened in horror to the TV reporter, who was saying...

"More news on the execution of Cordelia Halliwell coming up, in just a moment. Now, back to your regular scheduled programming of MTV's Real World 18."

Piper's face hardly registered the shock when the little girl called out, "Mom, I'm gonna be late!"

"Ah...okay?" Piper turned to go to the entryway, but then looked back to the TV set, upset. "TV, shut up. Mute or something."

"Command recognized."

A neighbor woman then came in via the front door, as she got to it. "Morning, Piper. You alright?"

"I guess," Piper replied, trying to play along.

The neighbor gave her a look of comfort. "Yeah, with your sister - it's rough, I know. So, don't worry about your little one. I'll get her to school like you asked, but, uh...are you sure you want me to take her to your ex's?"

Piper's eyebrow shot up at hearing that. "Ex? As in husband? As in mine? Uh, yes, if that is what I told you, then yes."

"So, you and he are getting along better now?" the neighbor asked questioningly.

"Maybe," Piper told her, before looking back into the house. "Prue? Prue!"

The neighbor just thought to herself, (Poor thing, having to cope with a sister like that horrible witch Cordelia. The stress of it must be getting to her!) "Okay, let's hit the road young lady!"

Before she left, the little girl motioned for Piper to lean down. When she did so, the girl whispers in her mother's ear, "Don't worry, mommy. I promise I'll do what you ask. I won't use my magic again, ever!"

Then after a kiss on the cheek, the girl started running down the steps and jumped into a minivan with two other little kids. Piper just watched them drive away, growing more confused by the second as a black limo pulled up a moment later.

When the driver got out and opened the back door, Piper was much relieved to see Prue step out.

A leather-clad, blonde-hair-down-to-her-backside Prue, but Prue nonetheless.

As the eldest sister came up the stairs, a man started brushing her leather clean while a woman brushed her hair. "Hey, hey!" Prue yelled. "Okay, enough! People, stop touching me!"

The man and woman just looked confused, as Prue pointed and told them to, "Stay!" And when the oldest sister reached her Piper asked, "Prue, what's going on?"

Prue shook her head, amused. "I don't know, but I could really get used to this. Check me out - I don't just work at Buckland's, I own it. And three more; Paris, Tokyo and London!"

"And you're blonde."

"Yeah," Prue grumbled, as she touched her hair. "Strange."

Piper realized something at that moment. "Wait, you had time to go to work already?"

"Well, actually," Prue admitted, somewhat ashamed, "I woke up there...but it was amazing. I had all these assistants, and this huge office, and I have a chauffeur!" She then leaned in and whispered, "And he's so totally hot!" Then as if asking about a lottery winning, "How'd you do?"

Piper just laughed a little, as she turned and went back into the house.

"Is that a good laugh?" Prue asked suspiciously, as she followed her sibling and the front door was closed.

Piper replied, "Well, if you ignore my apparently failed marriage and the fact that I still live in the manor..."

"You're married?"

"Was," Piper grimaced. "And my daughter is on her way to-"

Prue's eyes went wide at that. "Wait. Stop right there. You have a daughter?"

"Yeah, and, and..." Piper cogitated, as she saw a framed photo of the girl and showed it to Prue. "And she's beautiful."

"Of course she is," Prue said warmly, looking at the picture. "What's her name?"

That question caused Piper to realize, "Oh, God. I have no idea! But she has powers. But for some reason, I told her not to use them." The middle sister was at a loss to explain that one. "Why would I do that?"

Prue shook her head, not knowing the answer to that question either. "Speaking of which..." she said, as she replaced the photo back on the end table. "Why are we in our future bodies? I mean, I thought we were supposed to come here and see them like before."

Piper looked around the changed living room. "Well, apparently going to the past isn't the same as going to the future. I just wish that since we are in our future bodies, that we could have some memory of what's happened in the last ten years - like how I got a daughter!"

"Okay, wait a second," Prue said, as she moved farther into the room. "If I'm in my future body, and you're in your future body...then that means Xander and Cordelia are also...oh, boy. Well, Cordelia's whereabouts we can scry for, but where the hell is Xander? And why hasn't he gotten here yet?"

Piper suddenly remembered. "Oh! TV, louder, louder!"

The green volume bar moved as the machine repeated its standard phrase, "Command recognized."

The news reporter was back on the screen, along with the shot of Cordelia surrounded by fake flames. Only this time there was a title graphic that read, 'Countdown to Execution.' "...execution is less than eight hours away, until the burning of Cordelia Halliwell - the witch convicted of murdering Cal Greene six months ago-"

"Eight hours?!" Piper shouted. "We were supposed to be here two weeks before!"

"Shh..." Prue told her, as she sat down on the couch and listened to the report.

"Let's go there now live, where Sierra Stone is standing by. Sierra..."

The screen changed to a shot of a field reporter with a banner under her that read 'Live: Hobart State Penitentiary'. "San Francisco district attorney Nathaniel Pratt, who's discovery of the witch last August has made him an early favorite for the Governor's seat, just came out to make a statement. Let's listen in."

She quickly moved her microphone to join the others, around the man who Cordelia had seen in her premonition.

The man looked very smug as he spoke, obviously knowing how the audience around him was eating it all up. Arrogance seemed to drip off of him as he spoke, "This is a reflection of our citizens' resolve to ferret out the hidden evil. To turn fear into fight, and to band together as one. To cleanse our city of its greatest threat! Tonight, Cordelia Halliwell will burn for her crime. And when she does, let that be a warning to all the other witches out there!"

Pratt pointed forcefully and directly into the camera. "You're next!"

When the crowd burst into applause, Piper and Prue could only stare at the TV set in mute shock.

---

A few minutes later, the two sisters charged into the attic. Piper noticed the more den-like furniture that filled it now, but Prue didn't because she was still getting over the shock of what they had just watched on TV.

"Oh, big surprise! Here we go, up the stairs, into the attic, grabbing the Book of Shadows," the oldest suddenly vented, as they moved towards the Book's stand. "Please tell me we're not gonna be doing this in ten years..."

Piper frowned. "Apparently not."

Because the stand for the Book of Shadows was empty.

"What the hell?" Prue asked, flabbergasted.

"The Book is gone?" Piper asked, surprised as well.

Prue went to a nearby dresser and started going through it quickly, before she headed for a small trunk. "It's got to be here, we need it to find the return spell!" She pushed a stack of picture frames off to the side. "Piper, help me look for it!"

Piper looked on the small coffee table by a few chairs. "Okay, relax, we'll find it..."

Her older sister spun on her. "You don't know that! I mean, what if it's lost, what if we can't find it?" she asked, as her agitation grew. "Then we're stuck in our future bodies with no way of getting out of them, and no way of saving Cordelia!"

At the end of her tirade, Prue waved her hand without even realizing it. The effect was like a tornado hitting everything to the right of them; furniture and all, as it whipped away towards the far wall. Somehow, a small explosion also occurred, shattering the stained glass windows and ripping a chunk off the rafters.

Both sisters couldn't believe the devastation. "Been working out?"

"Ah," Prue muttered, shocked. "I guess that's a little sample of what ten years does to our powers."

"Yeah, and to our attic," Piper replied. "If we're stuck here, then you get to be the one that tells Xander and Leo they have to fix this. Because I'm not going to..." Ms. Halliwell then trailed off, when she saw something.

Bending down, Piper picked up the broken end of the base of the stand for the book. She then pulled out a small object from the hollow pole. "A key?"

Prue took it from her, and examined the round end. "I think it's the key to my wall safe at Buckland's."

"Do you think that means it's there?" Piper wondered. "We've never taken the Book out of the house before."

"We haven't," Prue said. "But maybe our future selves have. The real question then is, why?"

"We don't even know what we're like in this time, Prue, let alone what we think," Piper surmised. "If the Book is at Buckland's, maybe it'll give us some answers."

Prue nodded in agreement. "Alright, then we'll go there first, then to Cordelia to see if she's alright. I didn't think to look before, but probably - hopefully - I'll have Xander listed in my Rolodex, 'cause we need to get all of us back together fast!"

"I know. But if Xander's already found out we only have eight hours left, the same as we have, then he'll be already working on something - knowing him," Piper added as they walked out the door.

---

**Hobart State Penitentiary, California. Ninety minutes later**

Cordelia had woken up to find herself in a large prison cell, with no bars. The entire front was thick glass, giving her a perfect view of the dark and dreary concrete hallway beyond.

"Hello? Could somebody please answer me? I really need to talk to someone!" she called out, as the former princess smoothed out her brown prison jumpsuit and metal collar. "Okay then, how about a snack? Maybe some Chez mix, Pringles, something?"

A guard appeared only long enough to shove a metal tray of mashed potatoes and something else Cordelia couldn't identify at first glance, through a small opening on the floor. "Jeez, a tray full of slop? Come on, the lady who tried to feed us rat poison in high school made better..."

She moved to touch the glass with her hands to look down the hall, or that was the plan anyway. But as soon as her hands touched the glass surface, the collar on her neck gave the woman a very nasty shock. Cordy yelled in pain as she fell back, (Shit!!!)

After the pain faded enough, Cordelia tried to rip the damn thing off - but with no luck. Then years of training from living as a member of the Chase family, of not showing her emotions kicked in - as the brunette refused to let whoever it was see her scared.

Turning around she just whispered to herself, "Come on, Xander. Do your hero thing, and get me outta here already!"

---

**Plaza outside Buckland's Auction House. The same time**

"I can't believe you get a limo and a driver, while I've still got my same old jeep," Piper grumbled. The traffic had been incredibly bad, and it had taken them far too long to get here.

"You have a husband," was her sister's retort.

"No, I had a husband. I'm getting divorced, remember?" the younger woman sniped, as they crossed the plaza. "And how do you know you don't have a guy in this time? I mean, after all, I have a kid and an ex, you could have several..."

"Ex's?" Prue asked, not wanting to think about that.

"No," Piper stated with an eyeroll. "Kids! I mean, we're in the future with no memory of the past ten years. I don't even know who my ex-husband..."

A man on rollerblades bumped into a woman, with a cup of coffee next to them. Piper was so into the talk, that she just acted on reflex. The man, woman and the coffee all froze.

"Crap," the witch sighed. "I didn't mean to-"

"No, wait!" Prue told her, as she looked around the plaza. "Apparently, my power isn't the only one that's grown. You just froze..."

"Everything," Piper said in amazement, as she looked over the dozen or more people now motionless around them. Even the birds in mid-flight above were stuck in place. "What a difference a decade makes..."

"What the hell are you doing?!"

The angry question had the two sisters turn towards the way they'd come. A man was stalking towards them, through the frozen people.

Well, not just any man - but a whitelighter.

And despite the look on his face, Piper was very much relieved to see him. "Leo! I'm so glad you're here. I have so many..." She moved to hug him, but he quickly backed away from her. "Uh...what's wrong?"

Leo just shook his head at her, very upset. "Ya know, I knew you'd do something stupid like this. You used your magic in public!? What's the matter with you? Are you insane?"

Not understanding what the hell was going on, Piper shuddered; she had never seen him upset before. Let alone ticked off. "Uh, Leo..."

Prue quickly leaned into her ear. "Remember, he thinks we know what's going on," she whispered.

"You wanna end up like your sister? Huh, is that it?" Leo ranted. "We had an agreement, Piper. No magic for Melinda's sake!"

"Melinda?" a clueless Piper asked.

Leo's eyes narrowed. "Our daughter! What's going on with you?!"

Piper was stunned and happy at the same time. "Our daughter?"

But then Prue spoke up, "Wait a second, you're Piper's ex?"

Leo looked at her like she was brain-dead. But before anyone could say anything more, a loud shriek was heard. Quickly turning, the two Charmed Ones and the whitelighter saw a woman looking around at all the frozen people in horror.

When she saw the trio still moving the woman pointed and screamed, "Witch!!!!!"

Piper spied something on the pillar near them. "Prue!" She spun her sister around to see the posters on each side of it. They had a large picture of Pratt with the slogan, 'Help destroy the evil. Turn in all witches'.

Leo quickly looked around, and could see the people starting to unfreeze. "Hurry, we've gotta get out of here before they see you!"

"They?" Prue demanded. "Who's they?!"

"The witch hunters," Leo said bluntly, as he pulled them to the parking lot. "Move it!"

---

**Hobart State Penitentiary, California. A few hours later**

Cordelia was sitting cross-legged on the bed, staring at the tray of what passed for food. She was trying to keep up her spirits, by thinking of what she had planned to do today. Which was sunbathe, while pretending not to watch Xander work up a sweat...

When she heard the buzzer sound of the door at the end of the hall open, the former teenager jumped to her feet. "Prue? Piper?" she asked, hoping. "Xa-"

"They haven't come to visit you before. Why would they come now?"

Cordy didn't recognize the voice, but recognized the man from her premonition as he came into the front of her cell. "They're going to be as happy to get rid of you as I am," Nathaniel Pratt told her bluntly.

"Who are you?" the witch asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

Pratt looked at her gleefully. "I'm sorry. It's been so long since our last visit. Executions are a bitch to plan. Logistics, alerting the media..." He looked right at her, cruelly. "...gathering the kindling."

Cordelia's mind worked overtime, as she looked at the man that stared back at her with pure hate. Slowly, she stood to face him across the glass barrier "Uh, you know, I've had a lot of time to think about why I'm here-"

But the district attorney could care less about what she was saying. "No amount of thinking will affect the outcome. Justice will be served, for your crime."

Not knowing why she was in the cell, Cordy tried saying, "Wasn't really that big a crime, was it?"

Pratt took on a look of disgust. "You are truly evil. What bigger crime is there than taking a decent man's life?"

Cordelia looked up in surprise. "I killed someone?" Up till that point, she'd thought this was some witch-hating thing alone.

The public prosecutor rolled his eyes at her words. "Cordelia, what is this? An attempt to stay your execution? Plead insanity?" He looked at her as if she was a lost cause. "That's all you have left?"

Again, Pratt shook his head. "No, it won't work. You have five hours to live. Tick tock." He turned to leave.

"What!?" Cordelia yelled in dismay, as she moved to the front almost touching the glass again. "Five hours? But that's not possible..."

Pratt turned back towards Cordy. "Well, I'm happy to see the seriousness of this has finally hit you..." He looked her right in the eyes. "See, you represent everything I abhor. You're a threat. A danger to everything that is good and pure in this world."

"You're talking out of fear," the former snob told him. "Just because you don't understand something, doesn't make it evil-"

"No, it's you who doesn't understand!" Pratt yelled, losing his smugness for a moment. "You killed a man using your power, and now you're going to die for it. I only wish I could burn all of your kind with you!"

He then got a large grin that sent chills down her spine. "But don't worry, in time I will. This is only the beginning!"

Cordelia Halliwell watched, stunned, as he left. After a moment, she shakily sat back on the bed. And all that the witch could think of to explain his hatred was... "Buffy killed that demon during senior year, didn't she?"

---

**An abandoned building downtown. The same time**

Leo Wyatt ducked under a strip of yellow 'caution' tape, as he led his charges into the makeshift shelter. Several people glanced at them to make sure they were not witch hunters, but other than that no one cared that they had arrived.

"Leo, listen to me," Prue said, trying to make him understand. "The two of us, the Prue and Piper that you see before you, are from the past. From ten years ago."

"So, we have no idea what is going on!" Piper added.

Leo got completely fed up with them. "Don't even try lying to me. Cordelia is set to die today, and I only hope that this madness dies with her." He turned back to them, and ignored their upset faces at his words. "All these people are in danger, because of the witch trials she started!"

"How?" Prue demanded. "How did she start them?"

That fried the whitelighter's last nerve. "I don't know what you hope to accomplish by pretending not to know-"

Suddenly, Piper got fed up herself. She grabbed Leo's head and pulls him into a kiss as full of passion as she could manage, under these insane circumstances.

When the Charmed One finally pulled away, the guardian angel looked at her flabbergasted. "You haven't kissed me like that since-"

"Since this morning. July 15th, 2000, remember?" Piper told him. "We were supposed to meet, you had to leave, I went up to the attic - and this is where I came, the future. If you don't believe me, at least believe what you feel, trust that!"

Leo looked stunned, as he thought back. Piper started to wonder if she'd just made things worse, but then...

"I remember..." the man born during 1924 finally said. "That was the day the Elders sent me to the attic to open the Book of Shadows, to the page with the 'travel to the future' spell on it. Before Xander and I-"

"That was you?" a surprised Prue asked. "We just assumed it was Grams. And where is Xander?"

"You don't know?" It was obvious they didn't. "Oh, boy. Well, to answer your first question - no, that was me. And they wouldn't tell me why..."

All this was obviously hard for even Leo to take in. "Wait a minute. You two don't know what's happened for the entire last decade? Any of it?"

At Prue's headshake, the son of Christopher Wyatt sighed and looked around at the dozens of people on cots and at makeshift tables. "These people, they're here underground because they've been accused of practicing witchcraft."

Prue took in the large number of people present. "They're all witches?"

"Only some of them," the whitelighter answered. "Most of them have just been falsely accused. They're safe here - for now."

"What did Cordelia do?" the eldest Halliwell sibling suddenly asked, voicing the million-dollar question.

Leo knew now they wouldn't believe it. "Six months ago, she killed a man. Cal Greene."

"That baseball player?" Piper asked, completely clueless.

"No way," Prue told Leo at once in denial. "This is crazy. I mean, Cordelia would never murder anyone!"

"Oh no, she killed him alright...because he murdered someone else first. Someone Cordelia cared about very much."

"Who did he murder?" Piper demanded.

Leo looked at them for a moment, before he took out his wallet. He pulled out a picture and held it up. "He murdered her husband," the whitelighter said simply.

Prue took the photo, and moved over to the light from a hanging work light. Piper stood next to her to look as well, as the witches gazed at the stilled image.

"Xander..." Piper whispered, as she saw the photo clearly.

They recognized the large church as the one in San Francisco that the two siblings had gone to, ever since they were kids. Cordelia wore a very ornate white wedding dress standing beside her two sisters, and two dark-haired women they didn't know.

On the groom's side there was Xander, in a simple black tux. Beside him stood Leo, an older-looking man with glasses, Daryl, and a young male teenager. But it was the man on the end of the groomsmen list that shocked them the most.

"Is that Dad?" Prue asked in disbelief.

Leo nodded, as he took the photo back. "Things change, relationships change," he said as he looked at Piper sadly.

"So, this guy was a warlock then?" Prue asked, making the obvious guess about why Cordy had done what she did.

"No," Leo said simply. "Xander thought he was just the human servant of a demon; because Greene did make it into the record books, almost inhumanly quickly. Basically, Xander went out on his own to see what he could dig up. Greene caught him by accident, and killed him for it. And not quickly, either..."

The whitelighter looked down for a moment, before continuing. "After so many years being so close to a Charmed One, Xander must have become Cordelia's...familiar. Because they were linked by more than just holy wedlock. She could feel his pain as he died, but somehow they were cloaked from the rest of us...I couldn't get to him in time, I couldn't even sense him anymore...we lost him that day, and in a sense Cordelia as well."

"My God," Prue whispered in disbelief.

"This is unbelievable!" Piper cried. "What about - what about Kennedy and Terry? Couldn't they do anything?"

Leo shook his head. "Slayers only have an average lifespan of two years, you know. I'm sorry, but they left the picture a long time ago..."

Prue shook her head too. "Well, what about those friends of his from Sunnydale? Why didn't they do anything to help? Because Xander helped them when they needed it, just a few months ago!"

Leo looked confused, before understanding dawned. "Oh, you mean Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenberg? No, they weren't a factor anymore either. Hadn't been for years, as a matter of fact..."

The look on the two witches' faces made the whitelighter sigh. "Buffy was shot and killed not long before the summer of 2002, right there in her own backyard. There was nothing supernatural about it; just a maniac with a handgun, who'd gotten away with murdering a woman before..."

"And Willow?" asked Prue.

Another sigh. "A stray bullet from that killer took out someone she loved. The crazy redhead instantly delved into dark magicks; she went after him for revenge, and flayed that guy alive in the woods somewhere. Then she hunted down his former accomplice, and hit him with a fireball. Burned him into ashes, from the inside out..."

Both Charmed Ones looked sick. "Then what happened?" asked Piper.

"Her desire for vengeance sated, Willow collapsed into catatonic grief; not even Xander could pull her out of it, later. Eventually, you three stripped her of her powers just to be safe, before she was placed in an asylum somewhere north of Los Angeles. Which if I'm not mistaken, is where she still is today."

"And seven years later, Xander got killed too," Prue murmured, getting back on topic.

"Daryl and...the others gathered enough evidence to arrest Greene, but a technicality set him free; those lawyers from Wolfram & Hart that he hired were good enough to pull that off, despite the fact that practically everyone knew he was guilty as hell. Cordelia..."

The whitelighter paused. "I won't sugarcoat it; she was furious, enraged. We tried to get her to let the Elders see if they could help expose him and his demon master...but she wouldn't wait," he told them sadly. "On that day, she crossed the line from protecting the innocent to punishing the guilty. She used her power to kill Greene, got caught, and thus magic was exposed by Nathaniel Pratt."

Piper wiped a tear away. "And this is the result, modern day witch trials with Pratt at the helm?"

"And Cordelia at the stake," Prue shook her head. "I don't buy it. Her power can't kill."

"Well, it can now. It's been ten years," Leo told her. "All your powers have grown."

"We have to get to Cordy and explain-"

"You can't," Leo told her firmly. "As it stands, you and Prue are safe. Pratt checked you out, and he doesn't suspect you're witches. To get to Cordelia you'd have to use your powers, and then they'll catch you and kill you."

"Leo, she's our sister," Piper growled out. "We're not gonna just let her die!"

As they turned to leave, Leo suddenly heard from his bosses the Elders. "Wait, I'll go."

Prue turned back to him. "Leo, this is our sister. We have to-"

"No. I'm still your guide," the man insisted. "I can orb in, and keep you out of danger."

"Fine," Piper stated. "Then we'll go back to Buckland's to get the Book, and get the spell to get us home."

Prue nodded in agreement. "We'll meet you at the manor."

Piper stayed behind for a moment. "Leo, um, we got married?" Despite it all, that brought a tiny smile to Leo's face.

"Piper, we'll have plenty of time for that later," Prue told her sister. "We have to hurry, if..." The eldest sister then froze, as she realized something.

"Prue?"

The now-blond senior Halliwell looked at their whitelighter in horror. "Leo, we all showed up in our future bodies! If Greene killed Xander back then-"

Piper let out a horrified gasp, as she understood what her older sister was saying. (Oh no! He's buried alive somewhere?!)

Leo looked at them very sadly. "Xander's remains were cremated, after the investigation was closed."

"Oh, right!" Piper said, suddenly relieved. "Then it's okay. He must have just woken up in his future whitelighter body-"

"What?" Prue demanded, as this was all news to her. "Since when is Xander supposed to become a whitelighter?"

Before Piper could answer that question Leo said softly, "Piper - Xander never became one of my kind. Because after the guy died, the Elders didn't offer him immortality - and the accompanying duties that gift entails. Whether it was because of choice or circumstance, I don't know...but either way, Xander's not a whitelighter. Not here, not now."

Piper looked at the man she loved. "So, then, what? If he had no body to come to in the future...then what happened to him? Where is Xander - here and now?"

"I don't know," Leo said, not liking it anymore than them. "But without a corporeal vessel for his soul to inhabit, there's a good chance that he simply might have just...moved on. You know, onto his next life..."

"No! No way!" Prue declared defiantly. "We're going to get the Book, and we are going to fix this!"

---

**Buckland's Auction House, San Francisco, California. A short time later**

As soon as Prue and Piper walked out of the elevator, several people crowded around Prue. "Miss Halliwell," one woman said, holding out a pen. "Can you sign the-"

Her voice quickly got drowned out, by all the other people talking at once. Prue didn't know who to look at first, when everyone started calling her name.

"Give the woman some air!" a tall, redheaded woman told the crowd. "She will meet with all of you after lunch..." The woman quickly cleared a path for Prue to her office. Piper tried to keep up, but the mess of people blocked her long enough for the redhead to close the office doors behind her.

"Okay, good news first. The requisition paperwork was approved, and..." She stopped when Piper barged in. "Yes?"

"I'm with her," the middle sister growled.

The woman looked towards Prue, not understanding.

"It's Piper," Prue told her. When the blank look continued she added, "My sister?"

"Oh, right, sorry!" the stranger said, as she wrote down the new name on her pad for the future. "Almost forgot you had another one, I mean other than..." she trailed off, instead of saying 'the murdering witch'.

"That's okay," Piper drawled lazily, as she crossed her arms. "I forgot your name too."

The woman seemed very offended at that. "Anne. Miss Halliwell's personal assistant."

Prue ignored the two's catty exchange. "Right, my personal assistant. By the way Anne, um, do you know if my husband called by any chance?"

Unfortunately, the question didn't quite get the response Prue was hoping for.

Anne laughed, "Husband, that's a good one! Very funny, like you have the time." She handed Prue her file folder. "Okay, I just need to get your final okay on the acquisition."

When Prue took the file to look it over, Anne looked towards Piper. "Your sister was amazing. I mean, at first the board was a little resistant - what with all the layoffs it would entail - but Prue pushed it through."

"I did?" Prue asked, looking up from the papers.

Anne nodded. "I thought the 'to hell with the little people' part was particularly persuasive."

Prue's mouth dropped open at that. "Okay, Anne, sweetie, I really need some private time with my sister, so if you can just..."

Anne just smiled. "Oh, no problem, just buzz me!" she said cheerily, before leaving the room.

When they were alone, Prue spread out her arms and looked at Piper. "Look at me! I am swamped with work, I'm about to lay off countless people with a flick of my pen, and no man to speak of."

Piper just shrugged. "Maybe you're just picky."

"No," Prue insisted. "I know I needed some time, after what happened to Andy. But ten years?! What's happened to me?"

She then crossed over to the far wall. "Okay, well, I could dwell on the nightmare that my life will become, but we have work to do..." The witch removed a painting of a farmhouse to uncover her safe. "At least some things around here haven't changed!" Prue then turned the key, and quickly looked in. "Yes! Some good luck."

She grabbed the Book of Shadows out of there, and moved to her desk. As Prue started to flip through it, Piper looked over her shoulder. "Okay, it should be after the demon with the tusk, and before the spell to discourage a lover..."

The woman flipped to the appropriate page, but found it blank. (What the hell?!)

"Where is it? It was here in 2000," Piper demanded, not liking the possibility.

"Yeah, and now it's gone," Prue said, annoyed. "So, if the spell can only be used once, that must mean that our future selves have already used it. Which means..."

"We have no way of getting home!" Piper shouted angrily, as she slammed the book closed.

---

**Hobart State Penitentiary, California. A few minutes later**

Cordelia jumped up, the moment she heard and saw the orbing effect. "Leo, oh, thank God!" she muttered quickly, as she hugged him. "Look, I know what they think I did and if you-"

Leo quickly shushed her. "Shh. They'll hear you."

Cordy quickly lowered her voice, obediently. "Where's the rest of the cavalry?"

"They're not coming," the man told her simply.

"Right," Cordy asked, not understanding, "So you'll just grab me and we'll orb out to meet them back at the manor?"

The whitelighter looked at her with great pity. "Cordelia...I'm so sorry."

"For what?" Cordy asked, before she got a scared look on her face. "Did something happen to my sisters? To Xander?"

"I mean, nobody's going to rescue you."

Cordelia looked at him strangely for a moment, before laughing nervously. She then slapped him on the back, before the convict sat down on the bed. "Leo, if that's some kind of weird whitelighter humor - let me be the first to tell you, you are not a very funny race of people!"

Leo sighed, as he moved to sit down next to her. "I wish you could remember what you've done. It'd make this so much easier." He took a deep breath, and then turned to face his charge. "Your future self used witchcraft for vengeance, Cordelia. Pratt is using that as a platform."

The youngest Charmed One looked disbelievingly at the man who had almost become a brother to her best friend "Why does everyone think I killed someone? I wouldn't. I mean, I couldn't! What did I do? Premonition the man to death?" she asked sarcastically "My power is passive!"

"Not in the future. It's grown. As have you," Leo told her with a heavy heart. "Which means unfortunately that you have to suffer the consequences."

Cordy shook her head violently. "No way! I am not some two-bit murderer. I don't believe this, any of it!"

The guardian angel knew he wouldn't be able to convince her with words. So Leo took out a ripped newspaper clipping. "Then believe what you see."

Cordy looked dubious, as she read the headline; 'Witch murders star baseball player'. However, as soon as she held the clipping - Ms. Halliwell got hit by a premonition.

_Cal Greene walks calmly out of his baseball club's locker room, with an equipment bag over his shoulder. When he passes a recessed stairway, Cordelia jumps out from behind him. With pure hate on her face, she puts her hands up on either side of his head. Blue electricity shoots out of her hands and through the man's head, as they both rise several feet off the floor. He tries to scream, but his eyes roll back and a black mist escapes out of his mouth before he dies. With a very satisfied look on her face, Cordelia lifts her hands away and Greene's body falls to the floor._

Cordelia was in shock, as she came to her senses. "My God...the hate on my face...what have I done? Why did I-" Then she understood another feeling from the premonition. "Oh, no. Xander?"

When she turned to ask Leo, he just orbed out without a word. "What? Leo?!" Cordelia jumped up in a panic. "Help me, please!"

---

**Halliwell Manor living room. A few hours later**

"You wanna tell me how screwed we are?" Piper asked, as she continued to pace.

"Pretty screwed," Prue answered, as she flipped through the Book of Shadows.

"Yeah," Piper said absently. "I wonder what's taking Leo so long?"

Prue kept looking through the Book, confused. "Hey, some of the pages are marked. The top corners are turned down, and all of them are new spells."

"Such as?" Piper asked, as she sat next to her older sister.

Prue showed her a few pages. "Like, here's a spell to create a door, one to induce slumber, a glamour to change one's appearance. Some of them have these baggy things attached."

"Must be potions of some kind." Piper said, looking one of the blue bags over. "Maybe we just had some time on our hands one day. Made them all up for the future. You know, plan ahead?"

Prue just shrugged. "But what about these?" She flipped a few more pages. "Okay, spells to create money, to bend someone's will, to erase a memory, a binding spell..."

"What are all these marked for?" Piper wanted to know.

Prue thought for a moment. "This must have been our future selves' plan to break Cordelia out." She then found a folded piece of paper in between the pages. "A prison map? We definitely had a plan going. But something is bothering me..."

She flipped back to the money spell. "Clearly, some of these spells are for personal gain."

"Which would break the most basic of Wiccan rules," Piper understood. "We wouldn't do that."

"We wouldn't," Prue sighed. "But maybe in ten years, our future selves would."

They both looked up, when they heard the front door open. "Perfect timing," Piper told Leo, as he came in. "We found the Book, but we can't..." Then she stopped. "Where's Cordelia?"

"Yeah, where is she?" Prue demanded.

"She's in prison, where she belongs."

Prue's eyes bulged out at hearing that. "Leo, you were supposed to bring her back here!"

"No, I said I'd go to her. And I did," he told them calmly. "To explain to her why she has to pay for her crime."

"Damn it, Leo!" Piper yelled. "You're our guide, you're supposed to protect us - and now you're just gonna let her die?"

"You're signing her death warrant," Prue added.

Leo sighed. The two women in front of him had no knowledge of it, but he had lived through all ten years of their ever-growing selfishness. It was the main reason him and Piper hadn't lasted, to be honest. (The Elders were right along, a whitelighter and a witch - aren't meant to be...)

The guardian angel remembered how Xander had however been able to keep Cordelia on the right path, well - more-or-less. It was a pity they'd never gotten around to having kids, too...but maybe it had been all for the best, as after he'd been killed, that had all gone way out the window.

"I'm trying to protect the greater good! If Cordelia lives, if you use your magic to save her, then the persecutions will continue," Leo insisted. He looked directly at Piper, "And our daughter will grow up in a world where her powers are punishable by death. Do you want that?"

"Of course not!"

"Then it has to end with Cordelia. For God's sake, I love her too; she's my best friend's widow, my sister-in-law, and she's even Melinda's godmother. But..." Leo told them both sadly, "...she has to die."

"Like hell!" Prue growled out, getting very pissed off.

Piper quickly froze Leo with her power. "Prue, relax. We've seen what your new powers can do, when you're angry..."

They quickly went back to the Book. "He's gonna stay frozen, right?" Prue asked.

Piper nodded her head knowingly. "If he knows what's good for him, he'll stay frozen."

"Good," Prue said simply, as she ripped out the spell to make a door. "We have work to do."

---

**Hobart State Penitentiary, California. A short time later**

A guard was now sitting at a desk, near the front of Cordelia's glass cell. He was doing paperwork, while a small TV set droned on. He wasn't paying it much attention; but Cordelia, who was sitting in her cell on the floor with her knees up to her chin, could hear it just fine. She could hear Pratt's voice, and the cheers of the crowd outside.

And as she listened to the words, Cordelia Halliwell had never felt more alone in her entire life.

"Now, some people say this is a victory for me. But I say, here's a victory for us all! For today the blight on everything that is good in our world, will be extinguished! Tonight, the witch will burn!" Pratt yelled, causing the crowd to cheer wildly around him.

---

**Prescott Street, San Francisco, California**

Outside the neighbor's house, Prue and Piper were sitting in Piper's car. "Piper, if you're gonna do this, you'd better hurry. Leo could unfreeze any second now. Besides, Cordelia has less than an hour..."

Piper nodded, took the power binding spell and handed the rest back to Prue. Without a word, she got out and made for the door. And just as she was about to ring the bell, the middle sister looked through the thin curtains hanging over the window first.

Her heart broke a little, as Piper saw her future daughter Melinda playing with a Barbie doll. The kid looked so at peace, with not a care in the world...

Piper tried to gather the courage to read the spell to bind her daughter's powers, but she just couldn't. (This is going against all that I've learned about my family. When she grows up, will she ever forgive me for stripping her powers today? Letting die all the innocents she was meant to save?)

The witch then heard the sound of orbing behind her, but didn't bother to look back. Her eyes were locked totally onto Melinda, and what she represented.

"You can't do it, can you?" Leo asked her softly.

"No," she sniffed. "Our grandmother did it to us for protection. But to do it to her forever?"

He looked through the window, at their only child. "You don't have to bind her powers, Piper. Your future self and I agreed that I'd take care of her, and I will - I promise."

Piper had no doubt about that part of it. "I know you will." She then finally asked the question she had been wondering about, all this time. "So, we were together. Does that mean you clipped your wings for me?"

"No," he told her at once. "You wouldn't let me." Piper could see his sad face in the reflection of the glass. "We tried to make it work, despite our powers. I swear, we tried. But we just couldn't. And then all this happened..."

"Were we happy?" the poor woman whispered the question. Hoping that their future had some glimmer of joy. "Just for a little while, were we happy?"

Leo smiled a little. "Very. Piper, I've lived a long time now, and will for a lot longer. But those years with you...will always be the best of either of my lives."

Tears fell when he admitted that. And it took her a few moments to collect herself, before Piper turned to face him. "Are you gonna try and stop us?"

The whitelighter just shook his head. "I can't do that."

Thus, the Wicca gave him a small look of thanks. "I hope you understand why I have to do what I'm doing."

"Yeah," Leo replied absently.

"What are we gonna do?" his companion wondered.

Leo looked away for a moment, trying to cover the feelings this was bringing up in him as well. "What we always do."

Piper closed her eyes at that, before she agreed. "Talk about it later."

She gave him one last warm smile, before the woman turned and walked back down the steps to the car. Piper tried to hold all her feelings in, as she swiftly got back in the passenger seat; but didn't do very well.

After a moment, she looked at her sister. As Prue was just sitting there, staring at the windshield. "What is it, Prue? What's wrong?"

"I have no one to say goodbye to." The eldest Halliwell slowly turned to face her. "They didn't even know who you were at the office, my own sister. If we die tonight, my tombstone will read 'Here lies Prue, she worked hard'."

"We're not gonna die. We're gonna find a way back to the present and we'll create a new future," Piper said very firmly, full of conviction. "Somehow Leo and I are going to make it work, and raise Melinda in a loving home. Cordelia and Xander will end up together too, and never get murdered or put on death row. Hell, we'll even save Xander's friends! And you, my big sister, will have the life you always wanted."

"I don't know," Prue told her, still sullen. "What if we can't? What if we can never go home? According to Cordelia's premonition, we fail."

Piper didn't hesitate. "Our future selves fail. We still have a shot."

Prue stared at her for a moment before saying, "You're right...you're right." She pulled on her seatbelt. "Let's go get Cordelia."

Piper nodded her agreement and tossed the binding spell into the back seat, ignoring it completely.

---

**Outside the perimeter of the penitentiary. A few minutes later**

The two oldest Halliwell sisters quickly ran past the guards, after casting the spell to blind them of their approach. "So far so good," Prue said, as they ducked behind some large electrical boxes. "Except normal people usually break out of prison."

"Nothing normal about our lives anymore."

They reached the main building, still undetected. Piper looked up at the concrete exterior in worry; but Prue just took out the 'Create a Door' spell. "No place like here," she said to herself, as the oldest sister bent down and drew the outline of a door into the building's exterior.

"When you find your path is blocked, all you have to do is knock," Piper read, and then knocked within the area Prue had outlined. The wall just bent inwards, as a real door appeared. As soon as the sisters went through though, the wall sealed up as if nothing had ever happened.

---

Inside her prison cell, Cordelia watched without a word as two guards came in and began to shackle her feet together. She tried her best to keep a strong front, but deep inside the girl felt like she'd just been gutted like a fish.

(Something bad has to have happened to Xander,) the young woman thought to herself, in a semi-daze. (My big doofus woulda been here by now, otherwise...)

---

"Freeze!"

Piper looked in annoyance at the guard that now had a gun pointed at her head. "Good idea!" She quickly used her powers to freeze him in place.

Prue looked over the map they'd found in the Book of Shadows. "Alright, the cell should be up those stairs, come on. She'll be guarded, are you ready for this?"

"Do we have a choice?" Piper asked rhetorically, as they headed for the stairs.

Then they quickly noticed the lack of any further guards in the hallway, "No..." Prue whispered to herself, as she understood what that meant. The sisters broke into a run, and quickly arrived in front of Cordelia's glass cell.

The door was wide open, and the cell very much empty.

"We're too late," Piper whispered, as she started to tear up.

Prue checked the map, before yanking her sister along. "We have a few minutes! Time to go for broke!"

---

The room was a large, modified gas chamber. Cordelia guessed correctly that she was not the only one to have been brought to this room. Just the first one to die like this.

In its middle was a large octagon-shaped platform, with a pole sticking out from the center. Recessed lines went from the base of the pole, to the edges of the platform. As she was chained to the metal part of the pole, Cordy saw Pratt. He was looking over the horde of reporters, that were pressing in to see on the other side of the observation windows.

Pratt eventually turned, and slowly walked over to her. He took a big whiff of the air, "I love the smell of burnt witch in the morning."

"At least I'm paying for my crime," the former ruler of the high school elite told him defiantly. "There'll come a day where you have to pay for yours, too."

Pratt looked at her smugly. "Defiant to the end, huh?" He leaned in, so that only she could hear. "Make sure you tell Satan that I'll be sending all his witches back to him soon..."

Then the man simply turned away and walked back over to the windows, where many TV cameras were focused on him. Pratt then slipped into politician mode easily, "Let today be a lesson to all those who would seek to defy human nature with their way of life! Let today serve notice that black magic will not be tolerated in our society, and let today be remembered as the day we burned the witch!"

And with those words, he pointed as he did in the first premonition Cordy had had in her living room. The guard turned a dial, and Cordelia quickly smelled the gas underneath her.

"Piper, freeze them!"

Cordelia's head snapped around, to see her two older sisters bursting into the room from the door she had been brought in. "Prue, Piper?" Nobody said anything; everyone else in the room and the viewing room were frozen.

"We're getting you outta here," Piper told her simply, as she undid the bonds. She then quickly pulled Cordelia down off the platform.

"No, wait. You can't!" Cordy suddenly had an epiphany.

"What are you talking about?!" Prue demanded of her.

Cordelia looked at both of them. "You guys have to leave. I deserve to be here...or my future self does."

Piper vehemently shook her head. "You killed a killer! Don't be ridiculous..."

Prue made Cordelia look at her. "Look, this is Pratt's personal crusade. This isn't about us, this is about him! Wherever we go, he will follow us." Prue didn't understand the real effect that her words are having on her little sister. "He will hunt us. He will hunt our families. If anybody should be punished, it should be him!"

The now-blond Prue looked over to the suspended Pratt, then back to her hand. She suddenly made an unholy decision and turned fully toward him, raising her hands.

Cordelia instantly grabbed her, "Prue, what are you doing?!"

"Saving the future good witches of the world, along with our own future."

Cordy looked at her in horror, her eyes wide. "No! Don't you become a murderer too..." Her voice grew soft. "It has to end with me."

Prue just stared back at her, while Piper whispered fiercely, "Cordy, he was evil, he deserved what you-"

As the youngest sister started to cry, Cordelia told her, "Wrong things done for the right reasons, are still the wrong things." The tears fell freely now. "Our job is to protect the innocent, not punish the guilty."

The Charmed One had to wipe her eyes. "I crossed that line, I know that. And now you guys have to know it too."

Seeing their youngest sister like this, Prue and Piper start crying as well. "We are not leaving here without you. You're our baby sister - we just found you a year ago, damn it!" Prue shouted.

Cordelia took a hand from each of them in hers. "Prue, we were sent here for a reason. Maybe not to stop this, like we thought...but maybe to understand why this has to happen. Why you have to let this happen."

The young woman about to executed had to take a deep breath. "I don't want to die. But I don't want you to die because of me. And what the hell, I'll be okay - at least I'll be with Xander again..."

"You know about that?" Piper asked, surprised.

"Not the details, but I kinda figured it out when he didn't show up with you," Cordelia said in despair, before she hugged her sisters tightly. "I love you both." And with that, Cordelia walked back to the platform and placed her hands back in the cuffs.

"Unfreeze them," she then ordered Piper.

Piper shook her head. "You'll die!"

"And countless others will die if I don't!" Cordelia called back, trying to not start crying again. "It has to be this way..."

In the next moment though, the room unfroze on its own. Nobody aware of anything wrong, the guard pushed the buttons causing flames to erupt from the edges of the platform.

Cordelia shuddered as she felt the heat. In what would be her last moments she called out, "I'm coming, Xander!"

Then the flames surged through the entire platform.

Piper and Prue held on tightly to each other, crying; and as each death scream of their once-lost baby sister sounded, they clutched each other tighter. Pratt didn't pay them any attention, as he was too busy watching with satisfaction as Cordelia burned. The smug bastard was enjoying every moment of this.

He was doing both the people's and God's work, after all.

---

**Halliwell Manor living room. July 15, 2000**

The golden lights appeared again in the Halliwell residence. This time, they deposited two people in front of the couch. The two women continued to weep, until Piper was able to notice something.

She opened her eyes slowly, not wanting to see what was left of her little sister. But Piper didn't see what she thought she would. "Prue?"

The eldest put her head up, and looked around in surprise. They were back home. She also vaguely noticed that they were in the clothes they'd had on, before the trip into the future. "What are we doing here?"

"Cordelia?" Piper called, but got no response. Turning back to Prue she asked, "You don't think she was...what we saw..."

Prue grasped her sister's hand. "I know. Oh, please God, don't let it be true. Cordelia!"

There was a pause when both feared the worst, but then Cordy appeared from the dining room. She walked slowly to them, and grabbed them both into a silent hug.

As the three clutched each other, Piper whispered, "We thought that we lost you-"

"You did. I got burned alive," Cordelia said with a sniff. "I could...I could feel the flames on my skin. And then I was here." She pulled back to look at them. "I don't know what happened."

Prue tried to soothe her. "It's okay, you're safe now, you're home."

"Home, sure," Piper grumbled. "But when?"

She grabbed the TV remote off the coffee table, and hit power. The ESPN anchor was talking, "And Cal Greene tied the record yesterday, when he smashed his sixth grand slam of the year..."

Cordelia couldn't believe it. "Wait, that's the baseball player. That's what triggered my premonition!" She looked back at her siblings. "We're right back where we started. The day we cast the spell!"

"Why?" the middle child wondered.

"Maybe because it worked," Prue figured. "We were sent into the future to find out what Cordy did. And we came back to stop it from happening."

Piper wasn't buying it. "But we didn't cast a spell to come back. We didn't even have one!"

"Maybe they sent us back," Cordelia thought.

Piper shook her head. "Who? And why today? If we were sent back to keep that future from happening, shouldn't we have been sent back to the day Cordelia killed Cal Greene instead?"

A familiar dog bark caused a look of disbelief on their faces. The two oldest siblings opened the window, "Not again!"

Both watched as just as before, the dog squatted down while its owner did nothing. "This guy still hasn't learnt his lesson," Piper said, before she quickly froze him and the dog.

"And apparently, neither have we."

Prue and Piper turned back to look at Cordelia with confusion. "I think this is why we were sent back here, to this moment in time," the youngest Charmed One told them. "This is where it all started. The first time we used our magic for...revenge."

A look that said 'huh?' passed over Piper's features. "But it's just a little thing, it's harmless-"

"Yeah, it is," Cordelia agreed. "But once you break the small rules, it's only a matter of time before the big ones come next."

Prue thought about it for a moment, and then told her sister with a bit of pride in her voice, "A very smart girl once told me that we were supposed to protect the innocent, not punish the guilty."

"I haven't told you that - yet."

Piper clasped her hand on Cordelia's shoulder. "Maybe you won't have to."

They shared a silent bonding moment that was broken, when Prue saw the frozen face of the owner of the dog. "Pratt??"

Cordelia came over quickly, as they all looked to see that it was indeed Nathaniel Pratt holding the leash of the dog. Not knowing what else to do, Piper quickly unfroze him.

Pratt looked around, confused for a moment, before he looked back to the manor. His confusion only grew, as he saw the three women staring at him with strange looks on their faces. So he quickly tugged on his dog's leash, and crossed the street.

The Charmed Ones watched him quickly leave. "Do you think we should follow him?" Prue asked.

"No," Cordelia answered. "Because you know what? Our little act of revenge might just have been what sent Pratt on his path to seek his own."

"Which would have him start the future witch trials?" Piper concluded.

"Well, hopefully now he won't," Cordelia said, turning away from the window.

"I still think we should keep an eye on him just in case," Prue added, not wanting to let that man be forgotten.

"Absolutely," Piper agreed, before she closed the window.

"What's up?" Cordelia asked, as Prue grabbed the cordless phone.

"Not work!" Prue told her. "There is no way I am going to the office today. I'm going to hang out with you guys." That definitely brought smiles to both her sisters' faces.

Prue then added, "We all have a lot of changes to make, if we want to avoid ending up where we just came from."

"Hey, the future wasn't all bad!" Piper admitted. "You were like Miss Fortune 500, and I had a beautiful little girl."

Cordelia's eyes went wide at the words 'little girl'. "What?!"

"Details later," Piper told her.

Prue set the phone back down for a moment. "You know, we can still make the good things happen, Piper. We just have to make the right choices."

Piper had to agree with that. "So, maybe Leo and I will end up together."

"Wait, you and Leo?" Cordelia demanded, not liking being left out of the loop like this. "What else did I miss out on, while I was getting burned alive?"

The sound of the front door opening stopped the conversation, though.

Xander Harris looked at the witches in confusion, as he came around the corner. All three Halliwell sisters were looking at him strangely. And Cordelia had a huge tear falling down her cheek, before she charged towards him and took young Mr. Harris into a huge, crushing hug.

"What-?" he asked in confusion.

"Nice to see you still alive and kicking, Xander," Prue told him.

"Ah...thanks," the male teenager replied, now more confused than ever. His confusion then turned to concern, when Cordelia wouldn't let go. He heard her sniffling and crying, in the way she hadn't done ever since he'd accidentally eavesdropped that one time during high school. "Cor, have you been crying? What's wrong?!"

"It's a long story," Cordelia told him softly, as she dragged him over to the couch. As he sat at one end, she put her head in his lap and stretched out the length of the sofa. Taking his hand in hers, she told her ex-boyfriend, "And I would rather lay here, while we fill you in on all of it."

Prue and Piper watched the two best friends with warm grins. Piper kept standing, as Prue sat in the recliner. "They can fill you in, Xander..." She moved to the front foyer. "Because I'm gong to be busy in about, three...two...one."

Right on cue, the doorbell rang.

Piper left the others behind in the living room, and quickly pulled the door open. As she'd expected, Leo was standing there just as he'd been before. "Hey, stranger."

This time, however, before the whitelighter could say anything - Piper grabbed him by the shirt, and yanked him towards her. She then wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulls him into a passionate kiss. One that only grew and grew, when he wrapped his own arms around her.

After it was done, Leo was more then a little tipsy. "I would have settled for a nice 'hello'."

Piper puts her hands on her hips. "Didn't anyone tell you not to settle?"

"That's a good lesson."

"I've been learning a lot of them lately," the woman told him simply.

"So I've heard."

Her smile fell a tiny bit, after Piper heard her love say that. She didn't want to deal with that bitter Leo that she'd encountered, upon going forward in time...

"Look, honestly, I didn't know you were gonna be sent to the future," the whitelighter then told her truthfully. "I don't even know what happened, when you got there. All I was told was that, apparently, you had something to learn."

"So, that's why you're here?" the middle sister asked, annoyed again.

"No," he said with a knowing look. "That's why you're here. You three were given a glimpse of your future, to learn a valuable lesson. And I'm glad you learned it too, because I know they wouldn't have brought you back if you hadn't."

Leo then frowned a little. "Speaking of which, they're making me work tonight, so I can't really-"

"This is always gonna be a problem for us, isn't it?" the brunette witch asked with a sigh.

"I'm willing to work on it."

"Good," Piper said, happy. "Don't ever forget you said that."

"I won't," Leo replied, before his woman leaned in and they started to kiss passionately again.

While the five people in the manor were occupied with each other. None of them noticed the shadow in the shape of a man by the potted plant at the entrance to the living room. Because of their not noticing, no one saw that the shadow was not attached to a man at all. After a few more minutes the shadow seemed to melt into the seams of the floorboards.

It might have saved them some major angst in the future if they had seen it, but they didn't.

---

**Many miles away…**

In his private office as the newly appointed Assistant District Attorney, Cole Turner had just finished up a conference call when he saw the shadow move up from the floor. "It's about time!" He grumbled as he quickly closed his office door. "Well, what did you find out for me?"

The shadow simply joined up with him and retook its place as his normal shadow. It took him only moments to take in all it had seen and heard.

"Well." He said aloud. "It looks like she's more attached to him than I thought. I'll have to work a plan to separate them. Cordelia is still the best way to gain their trust." He thinks for a moment. "Killing them should be child's play."

---

**Halliwell Manor backyard. Several hours later**

On the patio off the solarium, Prue and Cordelia were sitting on the long deck chairs in bikinis, sunbathing in the glorious summer weather and drinking their diet Cokes. Well, Cordelia was also enjoying watching a shirtless Xander sweating, as he unrolled another roll of premade sod...

After a while, Prue turned to her sister. "You are one weird woman, little sis."

Cordelia tore herself away from watching Xander's abs to ask, "Why do you say that?"

"Why?" Prue demanded, surprised. "We go to the future. You get burned alive for killing your future husband's..." she pointed to the out-of-earshot Xander, "...murderer, and you barely make it back home alive. And now here you are, just hours later, sunbathing, watching your man working up a nice sweat - doing yard work!"

"Hey, something like this was all I was wishing for back in that prison cell," Cordelia said at once, defending herself. "To have a normal day, just sitting around and checking out a great view."

Prue looked her over. "In that little bikini, you've been giving him a good view as well! But, Cordy...for God's sake, now that you know you're eventually going to end up with him at the altar...just tell him how you really feel, already!"

"Ah, about that..." Cordelia mused. "I don't want to go that far yet, not till after he knows everything."

Prue knew what that really meant. "The Mexico thing?"

"Yeah," Cordelia answered. "The Mexico thing. I've been thinking about what you guys said a while back, about telling him. And besides that, I want the moment when we finally get back together to be perfect..."

Prue simply shook her head. "Perfect moments only exist in the movies, sister dear. Just promise me you won't wait too long."

"I won't," Cordelia nodded at once, taking a sip from her diet soda.

They both then watched, as Xander stretched his arms out after a long period of digging. "You know what, Cordelia?" Prue mused, watching the young man before her with an appraising stare. "Don't wait too long, or I might just..."

Prue quickly paused, and then started laughing her ass off at her little sister's low growl. "What? Hey, anyone with eyes honestly can't deny the quality of that ass!"


	6. Chapter six a

Note 1: This is the episodes I have to plow through to get to the episode I want to do fully. This jumps through several season two episodes of Charmed. Plus an episode of Nash Bridges and mentions of the Buffy and Angel shows. The Charmed episodes are 2.04-2.10, 2.12, and 2.14. The Nash Bridges episode is 6.1.

Note 2: www(dot)charmed-net(dot)com/en/ and www(dot)tvtome(dot)com/NashBridges/index(dot)html

Note 3: As said before this jumps around to the key points of those episodes and omits the rest. So it might not flow perfectly.

**Chapter 6a**

**Previously on Second Life...**

**Halliwell Manor, San Francisco, California.**

**August, 2000**

Prue and Cordelia were talking in the kitchen talking over coffee, when a very exited Piper came running in. "Guess what I did? Guess what I did? All by myself!"

Cordelia looked at her, amused. "What?"

"You ready for this?"

"Yes!" Cordelia said, semi-exasperated now. "What is it?"

Piper quickly dropped her coat on the counter, and tried to control herself. "Get this...Dishwalla...playing in my club tonight!"

"You can't be serious!" Cordy exclaimed, as she shared a look with Prue.

But Piper was just ecstatic. "I networked. Sent out feelers, sent off press releases and wouldn't you know it? Dishwalla decided to put P3 on their schedule. How about that? P3 has officially been validated as 'the' place to be!"

She moved to her two sisters, and hugged them from behind. "We're on the map! I couldn't have done it without you, you patient," she kissed Prue on the cheek, "most generous," she then kissed Cordelia, "sisters in the whole wide world!"

The doorbell rang and Piper called out, "I'll get it!" as she nearly skipped out of the room in joy. Her two sisters followed her out to the foyer.

And when she opened the door, Piper's smile got bigger. "Leo, this day just keeping getting better. Hi!" The woman quickly pulled him into a hug.

The guardian angel looked a little awkwardly at her, as he came in closing the door. "Hi, uh, Piper, we have to talk."

"Yeah...okay, uh...are you free tonight? Better be, 'cause you're my date!" the witch told her sort-of boyfriend, as they joined Cordelia and Prue. "We have backstage passes, all access, baby, to see Dishwalla at P3. And I made it happen!"

Leo grimaced a little at having to tell her this. "Uh, no, actually, 'I' made it happen."

It took a second for his words to pierce the club owner's bubble of happy thoughts. "You?"

"Yeah, look, I wanted to tell you sooner, but I didn't have time. I had to move fast," Leo told the Charmed One, getting right to it. "There's a demon involved..."

---

**P3 club, San Francisco, California.**

**Later that night**

With the concert going out on stage, Inspector Daryl Morris of the SFPD looked confused as he walked into P3's back area. "Prue, what's going on here?" he asked, as the cop recognized several of the missing girls he'd been searching for. "Someone wanna clue me in?"

"You're arresting a kidnapper," Prue answered, in no mood to explain.

"And rescuing his victims. Good job!" Cordelia added, patting him on the back as she and Piper helped out the girls.

"Trust me," Prue then told the Inspector. "That's all what you wanna know."

Darryl looked over at the band's manager who he suspected all along. "I guess that's all I need to know."

---

**Laser Precision Inc., Oakland,** **California.**

**A few days later**

"So she just stands in the pose, and the computers get every detail," the company's vice-president told Xander and Kennedy, as they looked out the windows to the other room - where the large rotating scanner was located. "We can get everything these days, even her eyelashes - if we set it to a high enough setting."

"Yeah," the video game designer named Royce Santone told them. "This is going to save us at least a year's work-"

Kennedy looked back to him. "So they full-body scan Cordelia in there, with the outfits and poses that's in the game, and then you can just drop her image into the darn thing?"

"That's right," Santone told her. "I swear, it can be a real pain to create a new game heroine from scratch. I mean, first you have to do concepts - and then those have to go past several reviews just for, say, the hair color. And even after all that, the character often looks way too much like a computer mock-up..."

He looked over the dozen or so concept drawings of outfits. "After we get her scanned in all the various outfits for the game, we can use the same scans and use them for action figures."

"Really?" Xander asked.

"Yep!" The tech pointed to a Lara Croft action figure hanging on the wall. "That's from an English model we scanned in two years ago. Long before they were making the movie."

"And it could make your friend very popular," Santone added. "The Lara Croft models have posters, T-shirts, book cover art, comic books, you name it. In a year, Cordelia Halliwell could be a household name..."

Xander looked over the costume drawings again. "Which one are you doing first?"

"The evening gown one," he was told. "The hair and makeup for that one takes the longest..."

"She's ready for the first one, sir!" another tech guy said, poking his head into the door.

"Very good," Santone said with a smile. "How does she look?"

The twenty-ish tech mulled it over for a moment. "This pans out right, I think I might be buying this game myself..."

Another door opened, and Cordelia came out. "Damn!" Xander muttered, his eyes wide.

The dress was a Gothic corset two-piece. The corset was a red satin with black lace overlay, with a traditional adjustable lace-up back. The black ball gown skirt was also satin, with an elegant drape, and it was enough to almost make Harris start drooling...

Cordy's hair was done up in a light bun, with two ivory and crystal red hair sticks holding it in place. The look was completed with a black shawl draped around her arms. As she did a turn on her three-inch heels, Cordelia asked, "So, I take it you like?"

"Oh, we like. Don't we, Kennedy?" Xander asked. When he got no reply, the young man saw the Slayer staring at Cordelia with her mouth open, and he gave her a little jab with his elbow. "Right?"

The jab brought the girl out of her thoughts. "Oh yes, we love it."

"I figured you two horn dogs would!" Cordy said with a smile.

"May I escort you to the scanner, my dear?" the young tech asked the witch, holding out his arm.

"You may," Cordelia said regally, taking the man's elbow.

As they left the room to the scanner, Kennedy looked towards Xander. "She's keeping the dress, right?"

"Oh God, I hope so!" Xander replied with a grin.

It was odd how Cordy being the object of 'both' their affections had only strengthened their friendship, instead of destroying it. But in any case, the carpenter and the Slayer then watched silently as Cordelia posed on the platform. Then as the main tech hit the button in the next room, four large brown panels very slowly scanned down Cordelia's body.

A few minutes after it was done, the tech showed the two friends the result. "Now that is majorly cool!" Xander said in delight, as they watched the image of Cordelia in her dress appear as a grey image, and then get filled in with color and skin tone.

"Excellent," Santone said absently, as he watched as well.

"How long till we can see the first pass at it?" Kennedy asked him.

"Not that long," Santone told her. "We just need to imprint her over the wire frame figure in the game's movie scenes. And sync in the voiceover she already recorded, so...maybe two and a half months..."

---

**San Francisco, California.**

**Late August, 2000**

Cordelia growled low in her throat, as she looked through the binoculars. "Have I mentioned how much I 'hate' this?"

"Yes, many times. But we didn't have any choice, Cordy!" Piper told her sister, as she also watched Xander having dinner with a girl from the dating service within the sidewalk restaurant. "We needed a man to smoke out the bad guy, and since the succubus has to be one of these two women-"

"Okay, but does the dorkhead have to actually 'try' to impress her like that?!" the youngest Halliwell demanded. "My God, that slut has more cleavage than the Grand Canyon! You can't convince me otherwise - they are so fake!" (God damn San Francisco. Succubae are like mosquitoes around here!)

---

**SFPD Special Investigations Unit, San Francisco, California.**

**A few days later**

"Is this everything?" Daryl Morris asked, as he looked over the folder while he and Xander walked down the gangplank of the unusual waterfront unit headquarters.

"Yeah, that's my statement and everything. Do ya think I'll have to testify?" the former Slayerette asked the cop. "I mean, I didn't even see his face when I nailed him..."

"You did when we pulled the mask off-"

Their conversation trailed off, as they watched Daryl's new captain, Nash Bridges, using a crow bar to pop open the trunk of a car. And when it was opened, a lot of gasps and a few curses were heard.

Darryl and Xander came over and looked. "Whoa!" the younger man exclaimed, as he saw the contents of the trunk.

Over one hundred pounds of plastic explosives all wired to a timer, with 55 seconds left on the counter.

"Damn!" Bridges called as he saw it.

A man that Xander guessed was an expert on this sort of stuff shook his head. "No way. It's going to take me at least ten minutes to defuse it!"

Captain Bridges didn't like that. "Jimmy, you better come up with a solution to this - fast!"

(Good luck!) From what Xander could see - this bomb had been put together by a pro, not like the one Jack O'Toole had created. And that he had reused months later, to help blow the demon mayor-snake sky-high...

"You want a solution?" the guy asked. "I'll give you a solution. Run!"

And that was what he and several of the people around them did. A young black Inspector didn't, however. He took the crowbar, and smashed open the driver's side window of the car.

"What're you doing, Bubba?" Captain Bridges asked him, as the guy jumped into the driver's seat and quickly hot-wired the car.

But without a word, he peeled rubber out of the small parking lot and over to a small pier that the car almost didn't fit on. Xander, Daryl, Captain Bridges and the others ran to the other side of the lot - to see the cop drive the car down the narrow pier and jump out, a few seconds before the car flew off the end.

Everyone held their breaths as the car crashed and quickly filled with water, sinking in moments. And just as the trunk vanished from sight...

...a muffled boom was heard, along with a huge violent plume of water shooting far into the air.

"I like this guy!" someone said next to Xander.

"He sure knows how to make a splash on his first day!" Captain Bridges told his partner, before he and the rest of crowd of cops burst into applause. The young cop stood up from his spot on the pier, and did a little bow to the applauding audience.

"This sort of thing happen here all the time?" Xander asked the young long-haired female cop he had met a while back.

The woman just gave him a grin, before she went over to meet the guy walking back from the pier.

---

**Halliwell Manor, San Francisco, California.**

**September, 2000**

In the solarium Leo was getting short tempered with the teen. "Innocent people are going to die, are you willing to live with that?"

"No, no, don't you lay that crap on me!" Kyle growled at the whitelighter.

"Oh, does that make you mad?" Leo taunted. "Good! At least that means finally you're being the real you."

"Screw you!"

"That's right, get pissed at me. Show me your anger!" Leo growled back. "Maybe you'll figure out what you're really angry about, huh?"

He threw the wand back to the blond teen. "You don't think you're the chosen one, you think you're the forgotten one!" Leo continued to taunt the boy, as Kyle's anger kept growing. "Sick and tired of it too, aren't you. Well, aren't you?!"

Kyle finally lost it and yelled, "Shut up!" On instinct he held up the wand, and the crystal on its end glowed brightly. As it did, an unseen force picked Leo up and hurled him through the large wall of colored windows, out to the backyard - with a loud crash.

Kyle was stunned at what had just happened. "Leo?" he asked timidly, as he moved over to look out the destroyed window.

Leo orbed back in behind him, unharmed. "Not bad."

"What was that crash?" a woman's muffled voice demanded from outside.

At that moment Prue, Piper, Cordelia and Xander ran in from the front door. "What the hell happened in here?" Cordelia demanded, as she saw the devastation within her home.

As if it was nothing, Leo just shrugged. "A little training, that's all."

"That's all?" Prue repeated. "Do you have any idea how much that's gonna cost to fix?"

Xander just groaned at the upcoming day's work ahead for him and Leo. "Not another damn window!" Not knowing that in another life, the exact same thing with the Magic Box and 1630 Revello Drive would have been his focus.

---

The wand hovered in mid-air, as the ancient evil witch and the male teen used magic to fight over it in a game of tug of war. After a few tense moments, the wand flew back into Kyle's hands. The crystal glowed as he angrily declared, "I wish you gone forever!"

The redheaded evil witch called Tuatha screamed, as her body started to glow and distort. "Noooo!!!" She then exploded in a ball of light, leaving a burn mark on the floor as the only clue that she'd ever been there.

When she was vanquished, Prue and Piper found themselves able to move again. "Leo!" a worried Piper called out, as she ran over to the spot that the other three members of their group lay - after being knocked around by Tuatha.

The whitelighter regained consciousness, as she helped him into a nearby lounge chair. As she moved, Piper was careful not to step on the other two people present...

But she couldn't avoid noticing how Cordelia moved but didn't wake up, she just rolled over in her sleep and into Xander's arms - without either of them coming out of dreamland.

Piper just shook her head at that, before turning her full attention back to Leo. "You're hurt-"

"I'm okay," the man said, looking up at her.

His charge just checked the cut on his forehead. "Let me get you some ice."

But Leo gently took hold of her wrist. "Really, I'm fine!"

Piper looked at him, annoyed, thinking of earlier - when she'd refused to let him heal her. "Are you getting even?"

"Just finally getting it," Leo Wyatt told her sadly. "What you deserve. A normal life, or at least a normal life as you can get, which means a normal relationship - which I can't give you."

He paused, as the couple just stared into each other's eyes. "I guess we know now why witches and whitelighters aren't supposed to fall in love, huh?"

Without another word he orbed out, leaving Piper to think over what had happened - and the true reality of their relationship.

---

**Halliwell Manor, San Francisco, California.**

**Mid-September, 2000**

Prue ran into Piper's room, as she was packing some clothes for her trip. "Ooh, ooh! I think Jack's a warlock."

"Who?" Piper asked as she continues to stuff clothes in her bag.

"Jack, uh, Jack Sheridan. The Internet auction guy I met, remember?" the oldest sister reminded her sibling. "I went to go get coffee, he was standing in front of me and then I went straight to the newsstand - and 'wham!' He was right there, reading a magazine."

Piper stopped what she was doing, to look at Prue. "He went from one place to another in a blink of an eye. So, you think he blinked?"

"Well, yeah, that's what warlocks do - right?" Prue said, before she had an idea. "Wait, you have to know if there's a warlock test!"

Piper looked at her, confused. "How on earth would I know?"

Prue smiled at her teasingly. "I mean, well, you 'are' a warlock magnet-"

"Am I never gonna live Jeremy down?" the middle sister asked, annoyed. "You know, you had that Rex and Hannah thing at work."

"Okay, fine," Prue conceded. "You get them in your love life, and I've got them at the water cooler." She finally looked at what her sister was doing. "What's up with the suitcase?"

"A little overnighter," Piper told her, as she put in another blouse. "Dan's friend is getting married in Tahowan. And Dan invited me to come along."

Prue sent her a knowing smirk. "In the same hotel, in the same bed type of thing?"

"That is yet to be decided."

"Oh," Prue said, looking into the suitcase and pulling out a frilly black negligee. "So then, this is just..." she held it up to her torso. "A tennis outfit?"

Piper growled, as she grabbed at the piece of clothing. "Give it!"

After Prue held on for a few seconds to get her sister more annoyed, she wondered, "You did test him though, right? You know, he's not a warlock?"

"He's not a warlock," Piper droned out. "No cats have hissed at him, he has not blinked, he has not tried to kill me or my sisters and steal our powers - which as you know, is a key indicator..."

---

**Uncle Sam's Deli, San Francisco, California.**

**Wednesday, October 4th 2000**

**6 p.m.**

"Los Angeles?!" Cordelia screeched out at the young Slayer across from her. "Why the hell would you want to go there?"

"Uh, Cor?" Xander asked, as he nibbled on his sandwich. "You were originally going to move there yourself, after your little stopover here - remember?"

Cordelia just waived him off, as Kennedy spoke up. "Look, I don't 'want' to relocate there. But the Council has found out that you guys' old friend Angel, he's fired all his staff to go on some sorta crazy vampire crusade - and so duty calls..."

Xander and Cordelia swapped a concerned look, before Cordy looked back at the only Slayer she had ever genuinely liked. "Angelus is back? Oh no. This, this could be very bad-"

"Well, they don't know for sure if he's lost his soul," Kennedy told her friends. "All the Tweed Men know is that a bunch of lawyers that were his enemies got killed by two vampires - all at the same time."

Xander didn't waste any time. He whipped out his cell phone, and called the one man he knew would know the answer. "Hey, Giles?" Harris spoke into the phone, as both girls watched him. "Yeah, we're doing good...uh, odd question I know - but has Buffy gone south to see Angel lately?"

He listened a little longer, before the young man's face became very dark with anger. "I see...no, thank 'you' Giles. Gotta go, I'll talk to you again later. Bye-"

Xander pushed the 'end call' button, and just kept staring at the cell phone with almost unreadable eyes. Cordelia nudged him. "Xander? What's wrong?"

When he finally looked up at her, his ex-girlfriend was shocked by the look on Xander's face. "Wesley called Giles with the 411. Drusilla and...Darla are back."

"Darla?" Cordy asked, trying to place the name. "Hey, wait a minute - isn't that the vamp that-"

"Killed my best friend Jesse? Yeah."

"Oh, crap..." was all that Cordelia could say in response to that.

---

**Office building, Los Angeles, California.**

**Two nights later**

Xander and Kennedy stood in front of the new office for Angel Investigations. And Harris thought briefly about what a drama it had been, to even get here...

His idea to drive down to the City of Angels had not been a popular one. Both Prue and Cordelia had ganged up on him about coming here by himself, stating it would be running a great risk for little possible gain.

And Xander was sure that if Piper hadn't been busy at P3, then she would have added her voice against this as well. (Typical, I suppose; when the women-folk get it into their heads that they know best about something, they just won't listen to what 'I' want...)

Plus, Xander simply couldn't let this slide. Darla, the vamp that originally created Angelus, had been brought back out of retirement somehow...and he just could not let her go on killing like that, in her second life.

And so, Xander Harris decided it was time for him to act like a man. He promised Cordy he would sleep on it, and then snuck out in the middle of the night while everyone else was sleeping.

Unfortunately for him, Kennedy had been coming back from a late patrol when she spotted the guy getting into his car. She knew about Cordelia's feelings by now, and so made up her mind to come along - to make sure Xander wouldn't get hurt.

After all, the young Slayer didn't want him going on a suicide mission, anymore than the others did. And the Chosen One knew that while Xander could handle himself, these two vamp chicks were big-league Big Bads.

They decided to double-check the address again. "Looks like an old accounts office," Kennedy told her companion. "They went from some big old hotel, to this?"

"Ah, hello?" Xander called out, as he came into the small front office.

"Welcome to Angel Investigations. I'm Tina, how can we help you?" an attractive blond woman asked him. Behind her stood a young bald black man, one that was watching Xander like a hawk.

Xander just ignored him. "Well, if this is the new place for Angel Investigations, I need to speak to Wesley."

"You look a little young to be a friend of English," the black man said, as Tina went into the back room.

"Well, I'm not really," Xander told the former gang leader with a shrug. "More like an...unwanted associate."

"Xander Harris?"

Xander turned at the surprised voice, and was surprised himself. "Wes? What are you doing in a wheelchair...and without a suit on?"

"I'm only going to be in this chair temporarily," the British man said, annoyed. "And since I'm no longer a member of the Council, I don't need to clothe myself by their dress code any longer. Now, why would you be here looking for me?" he asked, ignoring Kennedy for the moment. "Have you and Cordelia moved to LA now?"

"Ah, no," Xander replied, as he took a chair. "We still live with her family in San Fran. I talked to Giles on the phone, and he gave me some very bad news." His face then took on a very serious look. "Is it true? That somehow Darla's back among the undead?"

That name caused a reaction between the three LA people. "You know Darla?" Gunn demanded.

"Only met her briefly a few times, but the first was the night she turned my best friend," was the tense reply. "I'd like to hasten her trip back to Hell for that. And-"

"No," Wesley said sternly, cutting him off. "Mr. Harris, we can't afford to have you bumbling around right now. And I would prefer not have to deal with Ms. Chase's anger, at letting her boyfriend getting himself killed-"

"Bumbling?!" Xander growled out. "You have 'got' to be kidding me! This, coming from the guy who freely sold out Angel to that thighmaster-needing demon years ago, before you wet yourself!?"

And as an afterthought he added, "And hey, I am not Cordy's boyfriend! We're in this weird holding pattern at the moment, but - no, wait, 'why' am I explaining myself to you-"

But Tina cut off Xander's tirade. "Hey, Wesley would never sell out Angel!"

"Maybe not nowadays, I wouldn't know. But if his kneecaps were threatened back then, that's a different story - right, Wes?" Xander taunted the former Watcher.

"Don't you-" Wesley said angrily, before he winced in pain. "Damn it!" he grunted in sudden agony.

The two Angel Investigations team members were around him in less than a second. "English?" Gunn asked in concern.

"Ah, I think I pulled a stitch or two," Wesley said through pain. He lifted up his thin sweater, to show some blood seeping though his white tucked-in T-shirt.

"Oh man," Xander said surprised, the animosity temporarily forgotten. "What the hell happened to you, Wesley?"

"Nothing you need concern yourself with," the man told Xander with a grimace. "Just go home," Wesley added with an air of superiority, instantly causing Xander to get agitated.

"Go home?" Harris mocked the older man back, with a parody of a British accent. "Sorry, but I don't take orders from James Bond's dork of a cousin-"

"Ah, Xander?" Kennedy said, interrupting him. "He's still kind of bleeding. And it's getting worse-"

"Come on, Wes," Tina said, as she came over. "We'll take you to the hospital."

Xander stopped her. "That won't be necessary." Before anyone could say anything else, he looked up and called out, "Leo!"

---

**Halliwell Manor Attic, San Francisco, California.**

**The same time**

The Charmed Ones were gathered in the attic, all in their nightclothes; Leo alone wasn't. And the mood of the assembled ones was neither happy nor carefree.

"I should have known he would do this!" Cordelia seethed. "The dorkhead gave in way too easily, earlier on!"

"It's okay, Cordy," Prue told her youngest sister. "We'll find him-"

"How!?" Cordelia demanded. "Our magic doesn't work on him, remember? That means no scrying spell, or whatever. Besides, he's probably already there by now!"

"Even if he is already in LA," Piper spoke up, from flipping through the book. "It's not likely he would have had time to find those two vampires before now, is it?"

Cordelia just snorted at that. "Oh, please! With Xander's luck, he could have-" She trailed off, when she saw Leo tense up. "What?" the young woman demanded. "What is it?"

"Xander's calling me..." The whitelighter closed his eyes for a moment to concentrate. "But he doesn't sound hurt."

"Well, what are you waiting for?!" Cordelia exclaimed. "Shoo! Now! Go get him, and while you're at it tell him I am 'so' going to rip him a new one for this!"

The guardian angel quickly orbed out from the attic without a word...

...and didn't return for ten minutes. And when he did come back, he did so alone. "He's okay," Leo quickly told the youngest Halliwell.

"He's okay?" Cordelia fumed. "That's it?! Leo, for God's sake he wouldn't have called for the guy who can heal wounds, unless he needed some wound healing!"

The so-called handyman backed up a little. "All right, he did call me for healing, but it was for another man. Some guy named Wesley."

"Wesley?" Cordelia asked, very surprised. "Wesley Wyndam-Pryce?" When Leo nodded, she just got more upset. "Oh, this is just great! His only backup over there is 'Wesley'?"

"No, Kennedy's there as well," Leo told them. "Seems she went with him, to make sure he didn't do anything stupid."

"Too late!" Cordelia growled.

"What was Wesley's injury that you needed to heal?" Prue asked, knowing already who Wesley was - from her talks with her sister about her old hometown. Cordelia had called him the guy she'd flirted with, way too much.

"Apparently, he was recently shot by a zombie cop," Leo responded.

"Uh...well, that's a new one," Piper said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, this just keeps getting better and better!" Cordelia grumbled. "Leo, just take me to-" She stopped mid-sentence. "Oh, now what!?"

All three sisters were used to seeing the man look and listen skyward by now, and wondered what orders he was getting from the Elders. A few moments later, Leo looked back at his charges. "They're saying we have to stay out of this one. There's something Xander has to do alone."

Of course, when he finished speaking Leo saw the look on Cordelia's face - just as she was about to explode. (Oh, crap!) he thought, before retiring to the whitelighter realm up above.

---

**South Los Angeles**, **California.**

**The same time**

Xander held the seat back to allow Kennedy to get out, before he looked around. The fully healed Wesley had driven them to an old exercise gym, that looked closed down from the outside. "So what's this big thing you wanted to show us, ex-Watcher man?" he asked.

"Well, not you," Wesley said, pointing past him. "Her. But I suppose you might find this interesting as well..."

The Englishman used a keycard access to get into the building. As they walked up a flight of stairs to an office area Wesley informed them, "This building was purchased by a friend of ours, a rather rich friend that we met last year. It's a safehouse of sorts. So please, don't mention anything about it to anyone."

They entered the bare office, and Wesley stopped Kennedy from turning on the light. He just motioned them over to the large window, one that overlooked the lower level.

When Xander looked down into the lighted area beneath them he saw a boxing ring, several new workout machines and one more thing. "Oh my God-!?"

"What?" Kennedy asked, not liking the look on his face. "Who is that chick?"

---

Faith the vampire Slayer, decked out a black tank top and sweat pants, pounded on punching bag. She tried to go easy on it, but she was nervous. Gunn had called and said that Wes was bringing over two people. An annoying guy named Xander something, and a Slayer.

(Why the hell would Wes bring those two over here now?!) she thought in anger. (Boy toy is one thing, but to bring B along?) The last time Buffy had come to see Faith, she had ended up in a coma.

The brunette let out one last blow on the bag, before walking over to the bench and grabbing her water bottle. She tensed up when she saw the door open. Wesley had in fact brought Xander Harris, but the other girl was definitely not Buffy Summers.

"Okay," Xander said, when they got near each other. "I'll get right to it...how the HELL is it you're still alive?!"

"Cutting right to the chase there, huh boy toy?" Faith said with unease.

"Don't!" Xander responded coldly. "You lost any right to even 'think' of calling me things like that, when you got off on trying to choke the life out of me that night!" He paused to let what he'd said sink in before adding, "And since the last I heard the Council took it upon to themselves to turn you into fertilizer...I think you can understand my current confusion."

"Yeah, well, I have Wes to thank for me still being alive and kicking," Faith said downcast, nodding to the older man.

"Actually - I took a leaf out of your book, Mr. Harris," Wesley said with a shrug. "I was ordered by Quentin Travers to terminate Faith, because despite everything - I was still her Watcher. But I recalled what you did for Ms. Summers back then, and well - here we are."

"You gave her CPR or whatever?" Xander asked. "No way, they had to have someone watching her!"

"They did..." Wesley said, as he thought something over.

"Might as well go ahead and tell them, Wes," Faith told him. "I mean if I'm going to be working with the newbie here," she pointed to Kennedy, "then they're eventually going to know everything anyway."

"Very well," the Englishman replied. "Kennedy, I - along with your own Watcher - worked for another within the Council. Someone...very high up."

"Oh, that just clears up everything!" the youngest Slayer exclaimed. "Terry is working with you?"

"He was. You see, there are those amongst the Watchers who think that Travers has...how shall I put this...lost the plot completely," Wesley told her. "And those people think that it would be in everyone's best interests, to have two Slayers following the Council's directives."

"Two?" Kennedy asked, sharing a worried look with Xander. "Are they going to go after Buffy Summers?"

"No," Wesley said quickly. "They're planning to just let Ms. Summers have her time away from the Council. She 'is' still guarding the Hellmouth, after all. And she occupies Mr. Travers' anger very nicely. You and Faith are to be the 'true' Slayers."

"How exactly does Terry factor into all this?" Xander demanded.

"My old friend knew that I was doing some favors here in the U.S. for some Council members that shall remain nameless, during my free time," Wesley answered. "He was not informed about Faith though, till Kennedy was assigned here." He looked directly at the lesbian girl. "The plan was to let you meet her in a few days, when you and he moved down here-"

Looking over to Xander he continued, "Mr. Harris - Xander - Ms. Summers must not be informed of this. Please. She has Sunnydale, and we will have LA. This is the way it must be, for everyone's sake."

Harris just looked at the slightly older man for a few seconds. "What you really mean is you don't want her coming here, to gut Faith again."

"Frankly, yes," the ex-Watcher responded. "She needs to be able to make up for her-"

"You CAN'T be serious!" Xander yelled. "Granted Faith and those of us in the 'dale back then didn't get on that great. But she tried to KILL us, Wes! She worked with the Mayor, who was going to use ALL of us as Scooby snacks!"

He angrily looked to Faith. "But now she just wakes up, said she's a good guy, and you trust her just like that!?"

Kennedy had been watching Faith, during the time the two males were arguing. Even knowing all the bad stuff she'd heard from everyone about Faith, she was still a sister Slayer.

"No, it's not that simple. She and Angel...well, settled a few things. We also had her sing for Lorne-" Wesley started but was cut off by Xander. "Oh, then that makes it just fine!"

"Lorne is an empath demon," Wesley said with an edge to his voice. "If he said she's trying to achieve redemption, then she's trying!"

"I cannot believe this!" Xander called out, as he growled. "I'm supposed to go hunting Darla with a Slayer who would gladly knife me in the back?"

"We don't need your help with Darla, Xander," Wesley stated. "No one asked you to come here, and quite frankly no one apart from Kennedy 'wants' you here. How would you feel if 'I' showed up in San Francisco, acting like you are right now?"

"Listen to him, Xander, please!" Kennedy pleaded with him. "I swear to you, we will get her and the other one. Please, let us do this. I mean, it would devastate Cordelia if you got killed-"

"She killed Jesse! Don't you get it? I can't let that go!" Xander raged. "She picked him out of the Bronze, like it was a damn supermarket! He was my best friend for my entire life, and I had to kill him!"

Kennedy was going to respond to that, but Xander Harris orbed out at that moment. "Xander!"

The two Slayers looked on in mute shock at the spot the young man had been standing at. However, Wesley just frowned. "Interesting. I take it your whitelighter friend took him back to San Francisco?"

"No..." Kennedy said nervously. "Leo - he has to be touching you, to orb you anywhere. This must be something different. If something happens to him-"

"Calm down," Wesley told her. "From what I know, whitelighters are good people, they wouldn't harm Xander in any way. And that was one of their 'orbing' effects, correct?"

"Yeah, but-" Kennedy managed to get out, still upset.

"Then I suggest you call Ms. Chase, and tell her what's happened."

"Oh no, 'you' talk to her!" Kennedy said, knowing what her friend's reaction would be that she'd lost Xander like this.

---

**Halliwell Manor Foyer.**

**Saturday, October 7th, 2000**

**8 a.m.**

Cordelia rushed to hug him, as Xander walked in through the front door behind Kennedy. "Oh, thank God you're all right! Don't you ever do anything like that to me again, Xander Harris, or I'll kick your ass! We're supposed to be a team here-"

Xander made no attempt to acknowledge her rant. He just kept his arms at his sides, and looked straight ahead - lost in his own thoughts. Kennedy and the others watched him with worry, not knowing what he'd been subjected to after leaving LA.

Cordelia also noticed the state he was in, and backed off. "Xander? What is it?"

He said nothing, and just moved to the stairs. So his ex reached out, and caught his arm as he was on the second step. "Xander?" Cordy asked again softly.

She was shocked at the look he gave her. Buffy's former White Knight looked just plain...defeated. "Please - not now, Cor...." he said distantly, and then resumed walking up the stairs to his room.

When Harris was out of sight on the upper level, Cordelia turned back to Kennedy. "What the hell happened to him?!"

The Slayer shook her head, as she sat on the padded bench. "I don't know," she told her not-so-secret crush. "One minute, they were arguing over Faith and Darla-"

"Faith!?" Cordelia literally hollered. "She's dead!"

"Apparently, she got better," Kennedy told her with a shrug. "Xander and that other Watcher or ex-Watcher or whatever...they were arguing, and then Xander was just orbed away!"

"Don't look at me," Leo told the four women glancing at him. "I already told you, I don't know who orbed him out."

"And when he came back, he acted like he's doing right now," the Slayer finished up. "I don't know where he went-"

"Actually, I believe I can fill in the blanks."

Everyone spun around, to look into the living room. A tall, balding black man in a white robe with gold down the front of it was standing there. "Hello, Leo."

"Zola," Leo said in shock. "What are you doing down here?"

"Who is this guy?" Cordelia demanded.

"He's an Elder," Leo told her. And all the sisters plus Kennedy heard the respect in his voice.

"An Elder?" Piper said, surprised. "Well, good, I finally get to-"

"Not now, Piper!" Leo told her gently. "An Elder wouldn't come down to the earthly plane, unless something was seriously wrong."

"Hey! I do not like to hear the words 'seriously wrong', when we're talking about Xander Harris!" Cordelia grumbled.

"Let me put your mind at ease, then. We merely took him to face the truth," Zola told her.

"And just what is the truth?" Prue asked, standing next to her youngest sister.

"That Alexander's rage was misplaced," the Elder told them all. "Darla and her companion vampire did indeed take Jesse and Willow that night, years ago. But it was not Darla who turned Jesse into one of the undead, later on."

"What the hell are you saying?!" Cordelia demanded.

"He was turned by the vampire that was then known as the Master," Zola looked to Cordelia. "And you personally know for a fact, he was defeated months later."

"Well, duh!" Cordelia exclaimed. "It's kind of hard to forget hanging upside down, over those smelly bones..." The witch thought about it for a moment. "No, I don't buy it."

"Cordelia," Leo said aghast, coming over to her. "An Elder wouldn't lie-"

"Oh, it's not that!" Cordelia insisted. "But I know Xander. He would 'not' just take this guy's word for it - not for something as major as this."

"Indeed. And he did not, as you say, take my word for it," Zola said with a shrug. "For it was not I who told him the truth of the matter."

"Then who told him?" Cordelia pressed.

A new orbing effect took place next to Zola. A teenage looking boy said, "I did."

Cordelia covered her mouth, as she let out a shocked gasp. "Oh my God! Jesse?!"

"Jesse?" Prue demanded, as she had to hold up her sister. "As in Xander's Jesse? The one that he went after Darla to avenge?!"

Cordelia just numbly nodded, as her eldest sister lowered her into a chair. Old memories flooded back, days of innocence when young Mr. McNally - who 'still' looked 15 years old here - had panted after her like a lost puppy, desperately trying to win her love.

And she had constantly spat in his face, wanting to put said faithful puppy to sleep...

Jesse gave Cordelia a concerned look. "Ah, long time no see?" He looked towards Leo. "There really 'isn't' a guide book for this kind of thing, is there?"

Piper noticed the shocked look on Leo's face. "Leo? What's he talking about?"

The so-called handyman couldn't believe it. "He's a whitelighter."

That statement was the final push needed for Cordelia to faint.

"Cordy!" Prue called out in concern. "Leo, help me get her to the couch!" Without a word the whitelighter in question present took Cordelia's legs, and helped gently lay her on the sofa.

"How can you be one of us?" Leo then asked Jesse. "I've never seen you before-"

The question was intended for Jesse, but it was Zola who answered. "He's been undergoing training in seclusion, for some time. For a job that we feel that he will be well suited for."

Piper assumed the worst at hearing that. "No way, we already have a whitelighter!"

"We do not intend to replace Leo on his assignment here," the Elder stated calmly. "But a witch on the Hellmouth has need of a guide."

"That Willow girl?" Kennedy asked. "Uh, just curious, but from what I've heard - if she was going to get her own Leo, shouldn't it have been a long time ago?"

"It's not Wills," Jesse told the Slayer. "Her new girlfriend, Tara."

"Girlfriend?" Prue asked in confusion. "I thought she was dating a guy? A werewolf?"

"I don't get it," Piper said, dismissing that. "The vampire that killed you..." she indicated Jesse, "...is dead, and now you can see Xander again. So why was he acting like someone just gave him the worst news, ever?"

Jesse just gave Zola a dirty look, before the Elder answered for him. "For the time being, Jesse is to be with his charge in Sunnydale."

"You're keeping them apart?!" Piper fumed, her feelings for the Elders coming up to the surface. "Why the hell would you do that?"

"Ask Leo," Zola told her simply, before he nodded to Jesse and the two orbed out at the same time.

All three conscious women looked at the whitelighter, and he answered before they asked. "When you become a whitelighter, you give up all aspects of your past life. No more ties, no more connections. Although, granted, this situation is unusual - I myself didn't have a charge in San Francisco, 'til the 50's..."

It was at that moment Cordelia stirred on the couch. "Ohh..." She looked around for a few moments. "Did I just dream that my old stalker 'orbed' in here, or what?"

---

**Camp** **Skylark,** **California.**

**Early 1980's**

On a large dock sticking out into the lake, several cops were looking around - while two medics were placing a dead woman in a body bag.

"What's with this place?" one medic asked the other. "This is the third drowning this year."

"Hey!" a state trooper called to the others. "Is that her little girl? Get her away from here. We don't want her to see her mother like this!"

A young officer came over, and quickly scooped up a young Prudence Halliwell. "Come on, let's get you back inside with your grandmother."

As he carried her away, young Prue kept calling to her mother as the body bag was zipped up. "Mommy!"

---

**Camp Skylark, California.**

**Monday, October 9th, 2000**

**10 a.m.**

Piper looked at her younger sister, before back to the old camp counselor. Xander was due back some time today to pick them up, but unfortunately he couldn't stay - his carpentry business was already in enough trouble, given all the accumulated delays whenever the guy had to ditch his day job to help save the sisters and the world from evil.

"Um, we were wondering if you might help us with something. Prue was up here yesterday and she mentioned a man, um, older, a bit...off," Piper said.

"Crazy was the word she used, actually," Cordelia pointed out.

"Yes," Piper continued. "Anyway, we were wondering if you might know who he is."

Mrs. Johnson nodded in understanding. "Sam. Only one it could be. The man's not wired together properly. He showed up when the drownings started. He just stayed here, no friends, no life of his own. You know, with someone like that, you have to wonder what he's capable of..."

After the old woman had left, both sisters looked at each other knowingly. "He shows up when the deaths start up again?" Cordelia asked. "Kind of makes our case, doesn't it?"

"We can't jump to conclusions," Piper told her, getting out her cell phone. "We better get Prue out here, in case we need the Power of Three."

---

Sometime later in a lived-in boathouse, the three sisters walked in cautiously. "Sam?" Piper called out lightly.

"Don't be afraid, we're just three super-powered witches here to vanquish you," Cordelia said, as she took in the dirty surroundings.

When no answer came, Piper mused, "I guess he's not home..."

All three started to look through the piles of papers and files around the room. Prue took the pile of newspapers near a desk, and examined them. A third of the way into the pile, she pulled out something that surprised her. "Oh my."

Cordelia saw it, and gasped in surprise. She took the old picture from Prue, "Mom?"

"What?" Piper asked, coming over and getting shocked as well.

"What's he doing with a picture of her?" Prue asked, with a little edge in her voice.

"Who is this guy?" Piper then asked the even bigger question.

"Or 'what' is he?" Cordelia was worried.

Prue returned to the stack of old newspapers. "Okay, he has articles on every single drowning at the lake."

Nearby, Piper found something else - an old award. "Sam Wylder, New York teacher of the year...in 1872?"

"Okay," Cordelia said, feeling how it was all coming together. "So, this guy is what? 130 years old, or..."

"A demon," Piper finished for her, as she put the award back.

"Named Sam?" Prue asked, not fully buying it. "A demon named Sam? I mean, can't it be his grandfather's certificate?"

Piper considered that, as she opened a drawer to look around and found some letters. The way they were folded, she could easily see the name of the writer. 'Love Patty'.

"What are these? Guys, I found..." She jumped, as Leo orbed in right next to her. "Whoa!" Piper quickly gave him an unpleasant look before adding, "Leo, what are you doing here?"

The whitelighter didn't answer her question; he just stared at all of them. "Come on, we gotta get outta here. Sam could be back at any minute!"

Cordelia still held the picture of her dead mother. "Wait, you know Sam?"

Leo just nodded. "Come on, we gotta-"

Prue shook her head, not budging. "We are not going anywhere, until you tell us what you know. Who is Sam?"

When he saw all three sisters giving him a nasty glare after finding things of their mother's here, Leo admitted, "Sam was your mother's whitelighter."

---

**Halliwell Manor.**

**Tuesday, October 10th 2000**

In the kitchen, Leo was at the table - looking through the Book of Shadows. Well - he was holding his hands over the book and the pages were flipping magically, all on their own. Which was more-or-less the same thing.

Looking up when Piper came in carrying a basket of laundry, he said, "I can't find anything."

"Well, then you don't have to stay with me," Piper told him. "Um, why didn't your healing touch work? I mean, what, you can save a life - but you can't cure poison ivy?"

Leo sent her an apologetic look. "It's not really up to me. I can only heal when they allow me to, when I'm meant to."

"Well, why weren't you meant to help me? Why wouldn't I be meant to help my sisters?" Piper asked him, upset, as she went into the tiny laundry room.

"There's always a reason," Leo responded. "Maybe you're meant to be here."

Before she could respond, the brunette woman saw something sticking out of the pocket of the sweater she'd worn yesterday. "Leo."

"What is it?" the heavenly messenger asked from the table, as he saw her holding the letters she had found.

"Letters that my mom wrote to Sam," Piper told him. "I must've forgotten about them, because of the magic forgetting powder he used on us..."

The witch then read out loud the first letter. "Dear Sam, where are you? It's been two weeks since you were last here, and I wonder - are you alright? Do they have you off guiding someone? And I wonder when they will send you back to San Francisco. To me."

"Is this a..." Leo started to say, but Piper finished the question. "A love letter?"

She sat down at the table beside him. Piper Halliwell then read another one aloud, "Sam, yes, you were clear. My eyes were open to the difficulties, the risks, but my answer is the same as it was when you were still here with me. No one understands me the way you do, no one can."

Leo read another one from the pile. "What I wouldn't do for what other people consider ordinary. A conversation that gets finished, a night spent uninterrupted. A night with you."

"It's like I could've written these," Piper commented, looking semi-freaked.

Leo looks at her sadly. "I wish you had."

"What would it have changed?" the witch responded, just as sad. A moment passed between them, before Piper went back to the letters.

"Looks, like this one is about our water demon. 'You can't be with me up at the lake. This demon is too strong and I can't risk losing you, not for myself or the others you protect. They must as always come first. You know I'd never face this demon if I didn't think I'd be home in time for dinner to see my girls, to see you.' She never came home," Piper commented softly, remembering that night when she was very young. "When did this happen? Where was our dad?"

Leo couldn't answer those questions. "Your sisters need to know about Sam and your mom, Piper."

"If this demon is as strong as she thought, then they're going to need me - but how do we get there in time to..." Piper looked at her companion, worried. "Can you? I mean, is that breaking the rules?"

Leo shrugged. "What rules haven't we already broken?" They quickly stood up. "I'll have to hold you."

The middle sister moved close to him, letting him put his arm around her. Piper closed her eyes at his touch, since she knew this was as close as they could ever get now. (Man, this sucks...)

"Here we go," Leo told her, before they both orbed out.

---

**Camp Skylark, California.**

**A short time later**

After the demon was vanquished - Sam lay on the dock, mortally wounded. Prue held him while Leo, Piper, and Cordelia rushed up.

"It's gone," Sam gasped out. "It's gone."

"Leo, do something!" Cordelia ordered the active whitelighter.

Leo did indeed try, but his powers failed to work for the second time that day. "Why isn't anything happening?" Prue demanded, upon seeing this.

"Because it's not meant to," Piper said in understanding.

Sam looked straight at her, as he felt his life slipping away. "It's okay, it's time to go. I did what I've been waiting to do. History won't repeat itself."

Cordelia felt helpless. "But you're going to-"

"I'm gonna see Patty again," Sam told her, as he turned to Leo and Piper. "Don't lose her."

On the edge of the dock, the spirit of Patricia Halliwell appeared. "Patty?" Sam asked very softly, as his eyes drifted closed.

"Say hi for us," Prue said simply, as she watched Sam's spirit appear next to her mother's. The two spirits joined hands, and then just disappeared.

---

**Halliwell Manor, San Francisco, California.**

**Wednesday, October 11th 2000**

In the manor's kitchen, Leo was talking to Piper while she was making tea for herself and Cordelia. "It's just this, this whole situation you know - Sam, your mom, those letters. He loved her," Leo said, as he looked at her heartbrokenly. "Like I love you."

"Leo, we've been through this before," Piper replied. "We both know how we feel, but there are other people involved now."

"Can you tell Dan the truth, Piper?" the angel pressed the issue.

"That's between him and me," the woman told him firmly. "You and I have a job to do, and I thought that we agreed to try and put that first."

Leo shook his head. "So did Sam and your mom. Look at the outcome."

When he said it, Piper didn't know if it was the way he'd said it - but... "You're leaving, aren't you? For good this time."

"I don't know," Leo said to her honestly. "But I do know we have to stop working together, because I can't stop loving you. Which means I can't do my job."

"And I can't do mine." Ms. Halliwell looked down for a moment to collect herself, before looking back at him. "I don't know how to say goodbye."

"Then don't," Leo told her softly, before he orbed out of the kitchen and possibly out of her life.

---

**Halliwell Manor.**

**Friday, October 13th 2000**

Early that morning, Cordelia and Prue looked amused as Piper came in via the back door with an overnight bag. "Oh, look who it is!" Cordy said sarcastically.

"Morning," Piper told them, as she dropped her bag on the dining room table.

Cordelia looked to her older sister. "Do you recognize that person?"

"I don't know, she looks vaguely familiar. Kind of like a sister we used to have?" Prue asked, thinking. "What was her name? Pi...P..."

Cordelia frowned. "Pi...Pippy?"

Prue replied, "Pipper?"

"Whatever happened to her?" Cordelia wondered.

"I don't know," Prue riposted. "She fell in lust with the next door neighbor, and started spending all her time there."

"That's because she could," Piper shot back, not amused. "For the first time in months, her life was nice, calm and normal. It's going so good that I don't even care that it's Friday..."

"Shh!" Cordelia quickly stopped her. "Don't even say it!"

"The 13th!" Piper declared. "See, I said it and nothing happened."

Suddenly, a rapid-fire stream of bullets started shooting through the windows, impacting the wall a few feet from them. All three screamed and ran...

Prue and Cordelia made it into the living room, diving behind a couch. Piper dove behind a set of old thick shelves, on the other side of the room.

"I told you not to say it!" Cordelia yelled, as she covered her head from the still-flying bullets.

"Oh, so this is my fault?" Piper demanded from her hiding place.

Prue quickly told her younger sister, "Run!"

"No!" Cordelia ordered her, "Piper, get your butt over here right now!"

When the bullets stopped, Piper growled and made a break for it. However, when she got to the middle of the room another cluster of bullets came at her. Without even thinking, Piper used her power and froze them in mid-air. The witch took a spilt second to look at them in surprise hanging like that, before she ran and dove down to her sisters.

After a few moments no more bullets came, so Prue casually started to rise over the couch to look - and that caused more bullets to be let loose at them. "Oh, like I need this today!" Prue cried, as the bullets stopped again when she was under cover.

"Since when the hell do demons use bullets?" Cordelia demanded.

"Maybe it's not a demon," Piper offered, as she tried to crouch lower.

Prue shook her head. "Who else would want to kill us?"

"Well, you know, you were a little sharp to the mailman yesterday," Cordy told Prue. "And we all know how testy they can be..."

All three looked up sharply, as the doorknob on the front door made some noise. They braced themselves for the attack; double-checking their normal plan, as Piper started to say... "Freeze."

Cordelia added, "Kick."

"Send flying," Prue finished off the scenario.

They waited for the door to open, but the front was a diversion - as an armed woman in black leather came out of the kitchen. She wasted no time shooting, either.

Only Prue hearing the sound of the assassin's boots crushing fallen glass saved the witchy trio, as she directed her powers just in time. The multiple bullets stopped in mid-air, and reversed back onto the intended killer.

And so, the bad guy fell from the impact of five slugs after they slammed into her. The sisters waited a few seconds after the woman fell back into the kitchen, to go find out what their attacker was.

But Prue gasped, when they saw the truth. "Oh my God, she's not a demon..."

---

A little while later, the sisters were going through the dead woman's belongings - looking for clues as to why the hell she'd shot at them.

Cordelia looked at all the passports. "Multiple aliases. I've seen enough cop movies with Xander, to know that isn't good."

"Foreign currency and throwing stars?" Piper asked questioningly, as she looked over the pile dumped onto the table.

Prue wound up a lipstick, and a mini-blade popped out. "Definitely not Avon calling."

"Wait," Piper said, as she picked up a building keycard. "Sutro Heights Apartments. That's a little scary. She didn't live too far from here."

"I'd bet any money that she's been watching us!" Cordelia said, looking over the other items. "But what's even scarier, is that we've never been attacked by a mortal before-"

"Yeah, I've never killed a mortal before either," Prue said, upset.

"Prue, you had no choice," Cordelia told her older sister.

Prue shook her head about that. "Still doesn't make it any easier."

Looking over a day planner, Piper asked, "Does it make it easier if the mortal was a hit woman?"

"A list of names. So?" Prue asked, not getting it.

"Yeah, look closer," the middle sister told her. "We're on it. Or at least, one of us is. "P. Halliwell" and other than a "M. Steadwell", we're the only other name not crossed off."

"Someone obviously hired her," Prue said, as Piper flipped to the next page. "Someone who knew we have powers. I mean, look!"

Piper read the three lines, "Prue - telekinesis, Piper - power to freeze, Cordelia - negligible."

"What? Negligible?!" Cordelia complained. "I am 'so' not negligible!" Her upset face changed, when an old memory hit her. "Oh! Does she have a really gaudy-looking ring on her finger?"

The other two sisters looked at her weirdly. "I didn't bother to check out her fashion accessories, Cordy-" Piper told her.

"No!" Cordelia insisted. "Back in high school, a bunch of hit men tried to kill Buffy during junior year. I think one of them was human."

"And this has what to do with a ring?" Prue asked.

"Because," Cordelia said, annoyed. "Xander told me that Giles said that they all wore a really bad-looking ring. They called it the Order of tacos, or something."

"Can you call Xander, and get him back here to fill in the blanks?"

Cordelia shook her head. "Forget it, he won't have his phone on. Remember, he left early to go to that stupid convention? No way he would have his cell on, while Tim the Tool Man is on stage!"

"So, a demon could have hired these Order guys to kill us?" Prue wondered. "But why give the 'glory' of killing the damn Charmed Ones to someone else?"

Piper shrugged. "I just wish we knew about that part of the equation, before we called..."

"Hello?" Daryl stuck his head in the door.

The sisters all turned to look at him. "Darryl, hi - thanks for coming," Prue welcomed him into their home.

The police Inspector walked slowly over to them. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure if I actually want to be here. Depends on whether or not you tell me the truth, this time."

"Someone tried to kill us," Cordelia informed him.

Morris's face perked up at that. "Did you see who it was?"

Prue pointed to the entrance to the kitchen. "She's in there."

"She?" Daryl asked, as he walked into the kitchen.

"We were just sorta standing here talking - when she suddenly started shooting up the place," Piper told him, as he saw the body.

"A hit woman, we think," Cordelia added. "She obviously wanted us dead, we were on her stupid list-"

Darryl just looked at them, disbelieving. "And that's why you're standing here alive, and she's in there riddled with bullets?"

"It was self-defense!" Prue told him firmly. "You can check her gun, if you don't believe us. The only fingerprints you're gonna find on it are hers."

"Begs the same question," Morris responded. "How come she's got the bullets in her body, if you didn't fire the gun?"

Cordelia had gotten 'way' annoyed at his questioning. "Do you really wanna know, Daryl?"

The cop nodded, sick of the long line of flimsy excuses. "Tell me."

"We're witches!" Cordelia told him, dead serious - not trying to sugarcoat it at all. "We have powers."

Morris looked around, "Where's Harris? I need to tell him you three have gone nuts-" But when Prue levitated him off the floor, he screamed, "What the FU-"

---

**San Francisco, California.**

**Some time later**

Piper looked at her older sister, not knowing what she'd just seen. "What the hell just happened?"

"I don't know," Prue told her, looking back at the boardroom at Buckland's. "I think it was some sort of astral projection."

"How did you do that?" Piper demanded.

Prue shook her head. "I don't know. I just had this desperate need for there to be two of me, and all of a sudden - there was."

"Do you think this is part of your powers growing?" Piper asked.

"Maybe." Prue figured out. "I mean, if I can move things with my mind, why not my body?"

---

**Halliwell Manor, San Francisco, California.**

**Friday, November 3rd 2000**

**7 a.m.**

Cordelia stretched in her PJs, as she walked out of the bathroom. She moved over to Piper's bedroom door and knocked before going in, "Piper, you still asleep?"

She frowned at her sister's still-made bed. "Guess not..."

Next, Cordy crossed the hallway in her bare feet to Prue's room. Another quick knock, and she entered. "Hey, Prue, guess who got lucky last night-"

But another empty bed greeted her. Annoyed now, Cordelia headed to Xander's door. "Hey, Dweeb-O, at least I can count on you to be..."

Unbelievably, her ex-boyfriend was also absent. However, at least his bed had been slept in.

Guessing Xander was already eating breakfast, Cordy headed down the stairs. When she got to the bottom, the former princess noticed a note next to her car keys on the small table.

'Got up early to go to the Y, see you tonight after work. Xander'

As if on cue - when Cordy set the note down, the phone rang. "I'll get it!" Ms. Halliwell yelled, annoyed knowing that no one was there to hear her. "Hello?"

#Morning!# Prue's voice came through loud and clear on the phone.

Cordelia instantly got an amused grin. "Hey, Prue. Did that coffee date keep someone 'up' all night?"

#Believe it or not, all we did was talk,# her sister replied over the line.

"Yeah, right!" was Cordelia's reply to that.

#No, I swear!# Prue said amazed herself. #We just talked about everything, it was really great!#

"Really?" Cordelia said into the cordless device. #How'd he react to the witch part?#

#Cute,# Prue said, annoyed. And gleefully, Cordelia could almost see her sister's look in her head. #Alright, where's Piper?#

"Oh, she's still at Dan's," Cordelia informed her. "Hey, if only I'd bagged Xander - we could have scored a Halliwell hat trick last night, huh?"

#Don't be mad at me about that part of it,# Prue told her. #You know full well it's long past time for you to just claim him, already!#

Cordelia rolls her eyes. "No, I'm not mad..." But then the youngest witch of the family stopped cold, when she felt someone behind her.

"You're gonna need a new lock on that back door," a man's casual voice informed her.

Without even looking, Cordelia dropped the phone and did a high spin kick on the intruder. It connected with his jaw, sending him falling to the bottom of the stairs.

---

**Jack Sheridan's apartment.**

**The same time**

Prue was sitting by herself on her maybe-boyfriend's red leather couch, grasping the phone. "Cordy?!"

Getting no answer, the oldest Halliwell paused only long enough to grab her jacket - before she rushed out to her car.

---

**The Halliwell Manor.**

**A short time later**

The man looked up from the floor, holding his jaw. "Well, that wasn't fun."

Cordelia kept her ready stance, waiting for the guy to try anything. "Okay, who are you and what do you want?" she demanded.

The intruder groaned, as he got up. "More importantly I know who you are, Cordelia, that's why I'm here. I need your help. Charmed Ones kind of help."

"I'll ask again," Cordy said, all business. "Who are you?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," the guy sighed at her.

"Try me," Cordelia bit back.

"You can call me...Cupid."

---

**The sidewalk outside a coffeehouse, San Francisco, California.**

**The same time**

The demon named Drazi watched a young couple sit at a table, holding hands. Rubbing the ring on his finger as it glowed, he grinned to himself. "Why hello, young lovers..." his evil mind already planning the couple's downfall.

---

**Halliwell Manor.**

**A short time later**

Prue and Piper were now sitting with a dressed Cordelia, as they watch the man leaning against the fireplace. "So, we're actually supposed to believe that you're Cupid?" Prue asked, not buying it.

Cupid looked straight at her, surprised. "You believe in warlocks and demons, but you can't believe in me?"

Piper looked him over. "Where's the chubby baby?"

"And the bow and arrow?" Prue added.

"Guys..." Cordy instinctively tried to stop them.

But Cupid just shrugged, as he looked at the two sisters. "Where's the warty chins, hooked noses and pointy hats?"

"Alright then," Prue said, dismissing that. "Show us something supernatural."

Cupid shook his head. "I can't. Drazi took my ring. It's my powers, how I get in."

The oldest sister didn't understand. "Get in?"

"People's hearts, to awaken love!" Cupid said, as if it was obvious. "See, but Drazi's all about hate - and he's gonna use the ring to get in the same way."

Piper was not budging. "You're still gonna have to back up the Cupid claim."

Cupid groaned. "Okay, fine." He pointed to Piper, Prue and Cordelia in order. "Dan, Jack, Xander."

Back to Prue he said, "Andy, my sincerest condolences by the way. Eric in London, Alec in college." Back to Piper he said, "Not Jeremy the warlock - Joe in college, Barry in high school, Tim in eighth grade." His gaze finally settled on Cordy, "Kyle, Steve, Mitch, Kevin, Devon, Xander, John Lee, and Xander again? Yeesh, but you're not picky!"

Cordelia threw up her hands. "Okay, you know I didn't love 'all' those guys, right?" she asked. "I mean, John went all nutzoid on me!"

Cupid nodded, as he sat down. "Yeah, well - you didn't care who you were with then. You just wanted the pain to stop."

Cordelia looked away at that comment. Prue saw the look on her sister's face and asked Cupid, "Okay, so wait, our past relationships - you made those happen?"

"Well, actually," he started to say. "My assignment here's only two years old. I helped you two meet Jack and Dan, but your prior loves were works of fellow agents."

Piper looked up at that. "Agents?"

"Oh, yeah," Cupid said with a smile. "I'm just one of many. We work in secret all over the world, making connections."

"Did you connect me and Leo?" Piper asked.

But Cupid instantly told her, "Uh, no. That was the work of you two. Those connections are forbidden to make, for obvious reasons."

"What about me and Xander?" Cordelia asked, suddenly coming back into the conversation.

"As I said, that wasn't me," the man said softly. "You and him were the work of another Cupid. Someone who's been at this for a very long time - huh, I'm not surprised at all that she matched you two up, actually."

"Why?" Cordy wanted to know.

"Well - Cupid is very big on that type of love. She said it works very well, almost every time she does it," the guy told the witch with a grin.

"What type?" Prue wondered.

"The Princess and the Pauper..." Cupid answered, while still looking to Cordelia. "Plus - she had just watched 'Can't Buy Me Love', a few hours before she saw you two trapped in that basement."

As Cordelia looked at him in surprise at that revelation, the love master looked away to the other sisters. "I don't want to sound pushy, but we gotta finish the potion so we can vanquish Drazi - before it's too late."

Prue agreed. "Okay, so how are we supposed to find him?"

"The same way he can find me," Cupid said sadly. "We can sense each other. We're connected in a cosmic way. There's a fine line between love and hate."

"Oh, brother!" Piper said at that line.

But Cupid wasn't kidding. "Hey, don't take Drazi lightly. You guys are in danger as well, you know."

"We're in danger every day," Cordy told him. "We're used to it."

"Not like this," Cupid said firmly. "Look, if Drazi succeeds, eventually he'll kill your ability to love. And believe me, that's a fate worse than death..."

---

**Somewhere in San Francisco, in a closed-off alley.**

**A few hours later**

"What?" Drazi yelled in surprise, as Prue's astral form appeared right in front of him.

"Surprise!" she told him confidently, as the Wiccan waved her hand to shove him away with her powers.

However, Drazi just grinned at her as nothing happened. "Uh, whoops, that didn't work..."

Prue quickly grabbed a piece of wood sticking out of a garbage can, and nailed the advancing demon in the chest. As he fell in pain, Prue's astral form vanished...

...and reappeared a half a block away, surrounded by Cupid and her sisters. "Ah!" Prudence said, as her senses come back to her.

"Prue?" Cordelia asked her. "Are you back with us?"

"I think so," Prue said, before taking a deep breath. "Wow, I really gotta get a handle on that."

Cupid looked between them. "I don't understand."

"She astral-projected," Piper quickly filled him in.

"Did you get him?" Cordelia asked her sister.

Prue shook her head. "No, I just slowed him down - but you guys go get him, hurry. I'll be fine." The other three did as she said, and ran off after the demon. As she watched them depart she said to herself, "God, I love this new power!"

The two Charmed Ones and Cupid reached Drazi, as he was leaning on a nearby dumpster getting his breath back. "Hiding behind witches' skirts?" the demon taunted Cupid.

"Stealing things that don't belong to you?" Piper said, before freezing him. "Okay, do it!"

Cordelia quickly threw the potion at him. Drazi unfroze the moment after it hit him, "What the-?"

The demon looked on in shock, as his hand turned pitch black followed by his legs. He started to melt quickly, and his screams were silenced when all that was left of him was a large puddle of black tar-like liquid.

Moments after that, Prue caught up to them. Looking at the puddle she asked, "Did you get him?"

Piper looked at Cupid. "Did we?"

"Sure looks like it," the man responded, taking in the sight of the puddle. "Though, I don't know what happened to my ring. It shouldn't have been affected by what we did to Drazi."

"So that's it, right? We're done?" Cordelia asked, very relieved. "You can just move on?"

"In that much of a hurry to get rid of me, Cordelia?" Cupid asked knowingly.

She cast him a dirty look. "Look, Cupid. I know you're just trying to help - but did you ever think that I may not be ready for love right now?"

"No, because you're more than ready," he told her simply. "You and Xander-"

"Don't start!" the former cheerleader warned him. "Just go."

The agent of love told her simply, "Well, I need the ring to get back."

"Wait, you're stuck here?" Prue - now fully recovered - asked.

"No, actually, you can help me get back home!" Cupid said to the sisters. "One more potion, some well-chosen words from the Charmed Ones - and I'm on my way." He looked directly at Cordelia. "Care to help me with that potion?"

"Me?" Cordelia demanded. "Why me?"

"Because you're free tonight," Cupid shrugged, pointing to her sisters. "'They' have dates."

"Hey, how'd you know..." Piper started, but then trailed off. "Never mind, scratch that."

Prue and Piper walked off back to the car, but Cupid just stood there smiling at Cordelia. "What are you smiling at?" she asked, not liking it.

"You." Cupid responded warmly. "And your capacity to love..."

"I told you, don't start!"

Soon, they too walked back the way they'd come. And once they'd done so, the black puddle of liquid started to move. Drazi's screams were heard again, as he reformed into human shape...

The demon looked around in shock for a moment, before seeing the ring glowing brightly. "Well, it looks like you can't kill love after all."

Catching sight of Cordelia's back, the ring automatically did its job and filled in the blanks of her love life - causing Drazi to grin nastily. "But you sure can screw with it..."

---

**The Halliwell Manor. **

**Later that night**

"You cheated on me!?" Xander demanded, royally pissed off.

It was unfortunate, in one sense. Cordy had helped Cupid, and once that was over with Xander had come home - and the ol' male love machine had knowingly made himself scarce. The two young people had curled up in each other's arms on the couch, watching TV - before Drazi had worked his mojo, poisoning their hearts against one other.

"No, I 'didn't' cheat on you!" Cordelia yelled back at him, just as angry. "I was drunk! I hardly remember more than a few flashes!" She stuck her finger right in his chest. "And don't forget, 'you're' the one that constantly made out with that bitch behind my back - before you got caught red-handed!"

"And 'you're' the one who dumped me, just because of what people that you didn't even care about thought!" Harris swatted her hand away, unreasonably angry after another bad day on the job. "I should have known after that, that you wouldn't be able to tell me what happened like an adult would!"

"Don't you 'dare' take that tone with me, mister!" Cordelia screamed back at him. "If you had been a real man and not used your hands like a blind idiot with Alzheimer's back then, you might have gotten more than just making out! The guys I dated in 'eighth grade' knew more about the female body than you did, in senior year!"

"That's it!" Xander yelled, grabbing his jacket from the bench. "I'm out of here! And don't expect me back anytime soon!"

Cordelia didn't give him a chance to say anything more, as Harris walked down the steps to the street. "Fine! And ya know what? I won't! You can keep your lame ass out of my house, for good!" With that, she slammed the door hard.

Hidden from sight by the ring, Drazi watched the show with a large smile plastered on his face. "Now 'this' is more like it!" he said happily, as Cordelia stomped up the stairs to her room. "Now to hit the other two..."

---

**Hours later...**

Prue shook loose the angry feelings that seemed to have been filling her. "Hey, what the hell is going on?"

Cordelia quickly sat next to her sisters. "Drazi's back. He's still alive - and if Cupid's right, he's on his way here as we speak. Whatever bad feelings you had for Dan and Jack, Drazi did it. He's twisted your relationships with hate..." Her voice grew cold. "Just like he did with mine."

Prue looked at her, confused at her last statement, but Piper wanted to know. "So what do we do now?"

"Exactly what you're doing right now," Cordy told her. "You let Dan and Jack into your hearts."

Prue stopped her at hearing that one. "Okay, hold on. I don't 'love' Jack."

"No, but you like him a lot. And it's helped you open up to love," Cupid gritted out in pain.

"Hello, lover boy!" Drazi said cheerfully, as he appeared out of nowhere. The girls jumped in surprise as the demon plunged his hand into Cupid's chest, going for the heart.

Cupid yelled out in pain. "I should have finished you off the first time!" the demon hissed in rage and hatred.

Piper quickly froze them both. "Okay, so much for loving him to death. What do we do with him now?"

"Same thing, only different," Cordelia answered, going over to the frozen pair.

Prue didn't agree. "Been there, blew that!"

"Yeah, but the difference is this time - the ring won't be protecting him..." Cordelia said, as she took the ring off Drazi's finger and placed it on Cupid's. "It'll be protecting the good guy."

Piper looked uncertain. "How can you be sure?"

"I can't," Cordelia said, as she grabbed the last of her vanquishing potion. "But love is a risk. If he's taught me anything, it's that."

She threw the potion onto Drazi and as before, when it hit - they unfroze. "No, no. No, not again!" the demon yelled, as he started to melt once more.

Everyone watched as he melted completely to the floor, and this time - the puddle vanished, without any remains on the carpet. Only Cupid was left standing - whole and hale, with love restored.

---

**Halliwell Manor.**

**Saturday, November 4th 2000**

Early in the morning, Cordelia watched as Xander threw his bags into the back seat of his car. "Xander...you don't have to do this-"

"Yeah, I do," the man replied, closing the back door. "I need some time alone to think all this over."

"But I told you already, it was that demon who made us..." Cordy broke off, misty-eyed.

"Yeah - I know, Cor," Xander said, as he gave her a brief hug. "Look, I know you didn't mean it about me leaving the manor, and that what happened in Mexico wasn't really your fault. Because hell, I know better than anyone in this house about people doing stuff...while drunk..."

Cordy winced at the reference to the Harris family nightmares. "Then stay," she told him hopefully. "We can work this out-"

"We will, 'cause I'm not leaving for good," Xander told her gently. "It's just for a few weeks, at most."

Cordy whimpered when she heard that. "But what about your business? The Bradshaw account, for example-"

"Oh, I already lost that job, because of what happened with Ms. Hellfire. And 'White Knight Carpentry'? It's now officially out of business. Well, it was only a matter of time anyway..." He smiled, trying to take the sting out. "Look, Cor, after the fluke...seeing you lying there on that factory floor, with that rebar sticking out through you...I still have nightmares about that moment. The moment that I caused, because I couldn't control my hormones."

She quickly told her ex, "I told you, I don't blame you for that anymore-"

"You should know me well enough by now to understand, that doesn't just make the guilt magically disappear." Harris sighed. "Cor, I felt lower than dog crap for almost two months after that. I tried to make it up to you so badly, but you cut me down every chance you had. Granted, I deserved most of it, but with the Mexico thing - you should have at least heard me out, before that day in the park."

Looking down Cordelia replied, "I...with how my parents were like...you were the 'one' thing I thought I could count on. You have no idea what it felt like, afterwards."

"Oh, I think I have a good idea..."

The former snob looked up at Xander as he went on, "When you dumped me, that Valentine's day. Cordy, I had to live with the fact that you cared more about what a few girls that you would never see again after we graduated thought, than maybe spending your life with me."

The woman was shocked to see his eyes moisten a little. "Before I met you...the real you, that is? I thought that how my mom and dad ended up...that's how 'I' would end up. And when I was dumped like that at the Bronze, it hit me that maybe I'd been right to be so cynical, all along..."

She hugged him tightly. "No. Forget that, 'cause it ain't gonna happen. Look - can we just start all over, please? Simply put the clock back to yesterday?" Cordy practically begged him.

"Cor - if we try to start over like this isn't hanging between us, then you know as well as I do...that it'll just come back to bite us again, eventually. Those who are ignorant of the lessons of history, and all that-" He took her hand in his. "I just think we need a little time away from each other, to let us both figure out what we want."

"I already know what I want!" Cordelia yelled, before saying more softly with her heart on her sleeve, "I want you."

"I want you too," Harris responded with another sigh. "But every time we've hooked up, it's been on impulse. And Cordelia - we're not in high school anymore. We need to think this through like adults, and know for sure. Because I don't want what happened last night, to ever happen again."

Xander then moved for the driver's side door, only to be pulled back by Cordelia. (Cordy-) he thought impatiently.

"Here's what you have waiting for you, when you come home where you belong!" Ms. Halliwell told him - before she leaned in, and gave the former Zeppo the most sensual and passionate kiss the young woman could manage.

Xander instinctively responded, as Cordelia draped her arms around his neck. The young woman moaned in delight, her tongue halfway down his throat as she felt Xander's resolve weakening - and she had the urge to jump up, and wrap her legs around his waist...

But moments later, Xander gently pushed her away. "No. When I get back...maybe." He then gave her a long look, before he got into his car and drove away - as the sun was just coming up.

With tears in her eyes, Cordelia Halliwell watched him leave. "I'll be waiting, when you get back..."

---

**San Francisco** **Memorial** **Hospital, San Francisco, California.**

**Early January, 2001**

Cordelia dodged a nurse, as she and Dan ran down the corridor. "Prue!" she called out when she saw her older sister standing outside Piper's room. "Prue, what's going on?"

Prue kept her eyes on her sister in the bed, who had an oxygen mask on her face. "I don't know. All they said was that her condition has worsened."

"What?" Cordelia asked. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Don't worry," Dan told her. "We're not gonna go anywhere until we find out."

Prue acknowledged the head doctor, as he came over to them. "Dr. Williamson?"

The medical man got right to the point. "Unfortunately - your sister's immune system isn't as strong as we thought it would be, and the antibiotics are having no effect on the disease."

"So what do we..." Cordelia started before demanding, "What do 'you' do now?"

"Well, there's nothing more we can do," the doctor answered after a beat.

"What do you mean by that?" Prue asked, trying to keep it together. "What are you saying?"

The look Dr. Williamson gave her was not good. "Well, either Piper pulls out of the coma on her own, or I'm afraid your sister's not going to survive."

He was quickly called back into the room, as Cordelia threw up her hand to cover her mouth and the tears came pouring down. "No..."

Prue came over and took her youngest sister in her arms, as they both started to cry. Dan tried to offer what support he could, and desperately thought, (Xander, where the hell are you? This is no time to leave Cordelia all alone...)

---

**Halliwell Manor Attic.**

**A short while later**

Cordelia and Prue charged into the attic, heading for the Book of Shadows. "Okay, we can't let Piper die."

"No, we can't - but Prue..." Cordelia pointed out. "This isn't a demon or a warlock that we're up against."

"Alright," Prue said, as she flipped through the Book quickly. "There are spells in here to vanquish demons, then there's got to be a spell in here to vanquish a lousy bug!"

"Okay, but even if there is a spell, how do we get past the personal gain issue?" Cordelia asked. "Or the consequences?"

"What consequences?" Prue asked, sure of herself. "The Power of Three remains unbroken, future innocents are saved. I don't really see a downside to that, do you?"

Cordelia grabbed her arm. "Prue, think about it. If good witches really could vanquish diseases like that, do you think there'd be even one sick person in this world?"

Her words took some of the wind out of Prue's sails. "We have to save Piper."

"I agree, 100 . I just found you guys, I'm not losing a sister now," Cordelia told her. "All I'm saying is before we resort to the Book of Shadows, maybe we should call Leo."

Prue looked at her, unsure. "No. She told us not to."

Cordelia didn't budge. "So? Let her be pissed at us, at least she'll be alive to do it!"

Prue had to agree with that. In her opinion, it was better to have an upset sister than a dead one. "We don't even know how to contact him. He's always just sorta been around."

Without knowing what exactly to do, both sisters started yelling in unison for the whitelighter. "Leo?!"

"Leo?" Cordelia called out. "Are you here?"

Both of them jumped, when Leo orbed in right behind them. "Cool, it worked!" Cordelia grinned.

Prue didn't waste any time. "Alright, Leo, look...Piper is very-"

"Very sick, I know," their former handyman said. "That's why I could hear you calling. I've been nearby, watching."

Cordelia looked at him, shocked. "Wait, you've been watching this whole time - and you haven't healed her?"

The pain was clear on his face. "I can't." He looked up, "They know about Piper too, and they won't let me interfere. I'm not even supposed to be here right now."

Prue was well and truly stunned. "Leo, you can't just let Piper die!"

"Don't you think I would do something about it, if I could?" Mr. Wyatt snapped back at her.

Cordelia couldn't understand it. "But you love her."

Leo didn't like to say it, but did so anyway. "I know. But I'm not her whitelighter anymore. And besides, even if I could help her - my powers probably wouldn't work, if they don't let them." He looked up again suddenly. "I have to go, they know I'm here."

They both gave him disbelieving looks. "I'm sorry. Tell Piper I love her." And with that, Leo orbed out.

"Okay, that's it. Screw the consequences," Cordelia said tightly, as she started to search the book.

---

Later at the hospital, Cordelia and Prue had joined the awakened Piper in the isolation ward. "You can't keep us here!" Cordelia demanded of the doctor.

"Actually, I can - by law," Dr. Williamson told her in a no-nonsense voice. "Not just because your sister circumvented it by opening the uninspected fruit, but because she's carrying a rare disease that has every possibility of spreading to epidemic proportions."

Prue didn't like the sound of that. "I thought that you said it wasn't contagious?"

Dr. Williamson nodded. "Arroyo fever isn't 'supposed' to be contagious."

"Well, then maybe you misdiagnosed it?" Cordy suggested tightly.

"I didn't," Dr. Williamson said in a similar vein. "And aside from the fact that I have no idea how this disease is being spread, there's another little mystery that's concerning me..."

He turned to Piper. "Your recovery makes no clinical sense. Your blood has no antibodies, which means your immune system never fought off the disease. By all medical standards, you should be dead now, Miss Halliwell."

Piper didn't know how to answer that. "What's the matter, doctor? You don't believe in miracles?"

"Not the kind that doesn't leave traces, no." The doctor pointed to the door. "I've got six people infected out there, and there's nothing I can do to save them unless I figure out how it is you survived. I'm gonna run a series of tests on all three of your blood work. Even DNA sampling. Maybe it's a genetic marker, I don't know. But I'm gonna find out, and you're not leaving until I do."

After he left, Cordelia frowned. "Well, his bedside manner sure could use a little work."

Piper stared at her sisters. "Six people? How's that possible?"

"When we did the spell, we must have awakened everything in the room - including the disease..."

---

Not long afterwards Dan entered the room, to see a sight he wished he hadn't. Prue and Cordelia were holding each other crying, while Dr. Williamson and a few nurses were hovering over Piper in the bed.

"She's not responding to CPR!" Williamson called out. "Come on, Miss Halliwell."

No one in the room saw Piper's spirit rise out of her body. "What's going on..." the witch said - before she found herself in a dark place, with a bright light ahead of her. Piper suddenly could see the shape of a man walking from it to her. And it was no small shock when she saw...

"Leo?"

"Hurry, take my hands," the whitelighter ordered her. "We don't have much time."

"Am I dead?" Piper asked, unsure.

"No, not yet," Leo said. "Not if you take my hands."

"I don't understand-"

"It's the only way I can heal you," he responded. "The only chance I have of them not finding out."

Back at her body in the hospital, it was not looking good. "Give me the paddles!" Dr. Williamson demanded.

A nurse grabbed them and handed them over. "Charging."

When the machine beeped, Williamson called out, "Clear!" Piper's body jumped a tiny bit from the shock, as he zapped her.

"No response," the nurse said, checking the readout. "I'm not getting anything."

"Again."

The nurse hit the button. "Charging."

"Clear!"

In that other place, Leo gazed into Piper's eyes. "I don't want to lose you."

That was all Piper needed to hear. She held out her hands, letting him place his over hers.

Back in the hospital room, the machine was emitting a very bad constant tone. The droning noise that every red-blooded American dreaded these days, after a generation of cultural conditioning from TV and the movies.

The grim-faced nurse looked at the clock and called it, "Time of death, 9:40 a.m."

Prue and Cordelia were clutching each other as they sobbed hopelessly, watching the doctor about to place the sheet over Piper's face.

"Beep, Beep, Beep..."

The nurse couldn't believe it. "Wait, I think she's responding. There's a heartbeat!"

"What the hell? This is incredible..."

Dan hardly heard the stunned doctor's words. He rushed to Piper's bedside, just in time for her to speak a name... (Piper, thank God-)

Which was not his.

"Leo."

---

**Auburn** **State Park, California**

**The same time**

Cole Turner, a.k.a. the demon Belthazor, shimmered into existence on the trail above the river. He had seen the results of his handiwork farther upstream. As in the destroyed remains of the rented canoe, bobbing in the water.

It had only taken a little effort to change the direction of the boy's craft from the calm water, to the rock-filled rapids. A nice little boating accident, to fit the bill just fine. It would certainly open up Cordelia Halliwell for him later on, after the Triad finally let him do what he did best.

His planting of the virus had kept the lovesick whitelighter busy long enough...

However, a small reflection caught his eye. And as Cole looked on with his demon senses, he swore. "You have 'got' to be kidding me!"

Near the left shore of the surging rapids, Alexander Harris was holding onto a set of rocks for dear life. His watch face was catching the sun, as he tried to pull himself up to safety.

"I am 'really' starting to hate that kid!" Cole growled, as he produced an energy ball in his hand. He couldn't hit Harris with it, after all - you can't have burn marks on the corpse from a drowning accident. But the base of the rocks he was clinging to was an easy shot.

Morphing into his demon face, Belthazor wound up to throw it...and then swore again.

---

The fairly new whitelighter Jesse McNally appeared, standing on the rocks. "Oh, damn!" he said, when the boy saw Xander at his feet. "Hang on, buddy!" Reaching down, Jesse grabbed Xander's hand and then orbed them both to the shoreline.

Harris's tired body collapsed onto the sand, when it realized solid land was under him. Thus, Jesse could now see the rest of him. His friend's right leg was badly cut up; the guardian angel could see the white bone sticking out, a souvenir from the harrowing adventures of this day.

The whitelighter acted quickly; he held his hands over the gruesome wound, and let his healing powers work. When his leg was all patched up, Jesse moved to Xander's head in case he had hit it on anything in the water. "What the hell happened to you, Xan?"

"Don't know..." Xander started, still lying flat. "I'm not - I was just paddling along, when the damn thing suddenly took on a life of its own." He lifted his head slowly. "Couldn't get Leo, so I gambled that the Elders might let 'you' hear me."

"Don't know why they did," Jesse told him, speaking honestly. As the harsh fact was, his mortal life and brief unlife in Sunnydale was just part of the past now. His friendship with Xander, his feelings for Cordelia - the whole enchilada. It had been nearly 5 years, after all. "They made it real clear that I was only to take care of Tara, ya know."

"Yeah. How's that been going, dude?" Xander asked as he recovered.

"Okay, for the most part," Jesse replied. "Tara and I get along great, but Willow..." He shook his head. "Man, has she ever changed. She used to be this little mousy girl that hung out with us, packed her own lunches and always wore floods, but now - talk about headstrong! Plus, I think she's a bit miffed because I'm not 'her' whitelighter..."

Xander stared at his one-time best friend, remembering their conversation in the guardian angel realm - even if he couldn't remember what the place was like now. About how he had to let go - that Darla had her own role to play in the scheme of things, and the Master had already paid for his crime. Harris then pulled himself together, and focusing on Willow said, "Maybe I should go pay her a visit?"

Jesse instantly shook his head. "You don't belong there anymore, pal. And given this thing with that hellgod Glory...well, Buffy doesn't need or want the extra headaches your presence would bring. Trust me on that..." he finished up, before orbing out.

Xander mulled over his friend's words. (Guess so. Well, damn. What now? Oh, don't be an idiot - you 'know' what now! That near-death experience, you were only thinking of one person...)

---

**Prue's** **office at Buckland's Auction House, San Francisco, California.**

**The next day**

The witch put her nameplate and plastic plant into the box, with her other belongings. Jack watched her clean out her things, "So, what are you gonna do?"

Prue really didn't have a solid answer for him. "I don't know. Just take some time. Figure it out. Look, I had a little wakeup call - and I realize that life is too short to be wasting my time doing something I really don't wanna be doing."

Looking at the stack of new policy memos on the desk she added, "This place has changed. They care more about the sale, than what they're selling..."

---

**P3 club, San Francisco, California.**

**That night**

The sisters were at one end of the bar. After Piper asked if Dan had called, Cordelia told her gently, "Uh, you know, Piper, Dan heard you call out Leo's name when you were coming around at the hospital."

"He did?" Piper asked, grimacing. "That wasn't me thinking about Leo, that was just..."

"Him saving you," Cordy replied. "I know."

Prue frowned. "Still, how are you gonna explain that to Dan?"

When Piper's face showed she had absolutely no idea, Cordelia pointed out, "Well, at least you're alive to try. That's what's important."

Prue agreed at once. "Yeah, I mean, just because we're witches, doesn't mean we're above the laws of nature."

"Or the Wiccan ones," Cordelia said.

"I know, you don't have to tell me twice," Piper told them both. "I'm not taking anything for granted anymore."

"Ditto," the oldest Halliwell replied.

Cordelia grinned, and put an arm around her sister. "Yeah, Prue, welcome to the ranks of the unemployed. I'm proud of you. I think what you did was very brave."

"Thank you," Prue said modestly, as she glanced towards the stairs. She easily noticed the man walking through the crowd. "Ooh, Piper!" Pointing, she added, "Leo."

When Piper got up to head over to him, Cordelia patted her on the back. "Tell him thanks for us too."

More than a little nervous, Piper walked over and tapped Leo on the shoulder. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," he replied. "How are you feeling?"

Piper gave the man a sincere smile. "A little tired, but okay. Leo, thank you for everything you..."

He stopped her at once. "I couldn't let you die, Piper."

That meant a lot to her. "I'm very glad you couldn't. Did you get in trouble?" the club owner asked, worried.

"Yeah, actually," Leo said, shrugging. "A lot. They found out what I did." He paused for a moment. "They clipped my wings."

Piper's eyes went huge at hearing that. "What?"

Leo nodded. "It's not permanent. It's more like a suspension...I hope."

"Leo, I-I-I don't know what to say," Piper stumbled out. At one time, this was the one thing she'd wanted more than anything else...

"You don't have to say anything. You didn't do anything, I did," the former whitelighter told her. "I guess in a way I always hoped someday, somehow you and I would get a second chance."

It kind of hurt her to say it, but Piper did so anyway. "I'm with Dan now."

Leo acknowledged that. "I know. But I also know now that I'm a mortal, I'm gonna fight for you." Off of her stunned look he added, "May the best man win."

---

**Halliwell Manor.**

**Tuesday, January 9th 2001**

Not long before midnight, Cordelia Halliwell wasn't thinking about today being her 20th birthday, and that Xander wasn't here for it - not anymore. As she was laying on the floor in the living room, Cordelia's body shook a little as her soul was switched back with that of her past life in 1924.

Her eyes sprung open, and her hand felt around her neck where her past life cousins had been strangling her. "Piper...Prue?" she gasped out.

Piper made the decision. "Okay, it's her. Put it back on, fast!"

Prue quickly refastened the enchanted amulet back around Cordy's neck. Just in time too, as it glowed - signaling the past life soul curse trying to kill her. It took a full 30 seconds for it to stop.

"It's okay!" the woman then told her youngest sister in relief.

Piper helped Cordy sit up. "You're safe."

Cordelia leaned against her, and looked at both her sisters. "Thank you, guys...for saving my life. 'All' of them."

---

**Halliwell Manor.**

**Wednesday, January 10th 2001**

In the morning in the manor entryway, Piper was talking to Leo as he was leaving. "So I, uh, hope you're not still upset with me. You know, for not telling you about our past lives together," the man babbled.

Piper shook her head. "I'm not letting you off the hook for that just yet. I'm still not quite sure what it even means."

Leo gazed lovingly at her. "Well, I'd like to think it means we're destined to be together..." Then the doorbell rang; the guy opened the door, and saw Dan standing there.

"Leo, what are you doing here?" the man in question asked, surprised.

Piper quickly stepped up. "Leo was just leaving. Bye."

Leo headed out at once. "Okay. I'll see you at work." He nodded politely to Dan, as he passed him by. "Dan."

Dan frowned, as he closed the door behind Leo. "You know, Piper, I'm just going to come right out and say this. Even if you get mad at me, but I know in my gut that something's not right with him. He worries me."

Piper tried to play it cool. "Uh, are you talking about Leo?"

Dan scowled. "If Leo is his real name. You know, I had my brother-in-law who works for the State Department check out his army records. But the only Leo Wyatt they came up with, died almost 60 years ago in World War II."

"Well, there must be some kind of mistake," Piper said with a shrug.

"Piper. There is no record of him anywhere. Nothing," Dan said, concerned. "It's almost as if he doesn't have any past at all. I'm sorry. It's...just...just do me favor, and watch your back when you're around him. Okay? At least until I figure out who he really is."

She nodded. "Okay, I will."

---

Up in Cordelia's room, she was sitting on the bed with the Book of Shadows - when Prue walked in. "Hey, you all right?"

"Yeah. I think so," Cordy answered, looking up. "I'm just writing a little warning in the Book, about Anton."

"Why?" Prue asked, sitting across from her. "You don't think that we actually vanquished him?"

"I just don't want to take any chances," Cordelia replied firmly. "And I hope the future me is somewhere near this book, if he ever strikes again."

Prue laughed. "Something tells me that we're always going to be near it. Always have been. Always will be."

"Yeah. You're probably right," Cordelia admitted. "Of course, the warning won't do much good if the future me turns out to be bad..."

"It's not just you, you know," Prue told her. "I mean, we all have a little bad in us. It's just that when 'you' turn bad, things tend to catch on fire."

Cordelia had to laugh at that, after seeing what her past life's power had been. "This is supposed to be making me feel better?"

Prue leaned in a little. "What I mean is, that it's just as natural to be bad as it is to be good. That's how we know what good is. That's how we're able to make the choice to 'be' good." Making sure she'd made her point Prudence added, "Remember, Anton wouldn't have needed evil Past Cordelia, if you hadn't evolved into good Present Cordelia."

"Ah, about that - there's something I didn't tell you guys," Cordelia said reluctantly.

"What?" Prue asked, interested.

Cordelia dropped the marker. "Remember how Leo said we tend to cluster with the same souls, in all our lives? Family, friends, enemies, lovers? How our souls recognize each other, in our little soul clique?"

"Yeah," Prue answered. "Like how Past Piper was married to Dan, but Leo was her lover?"

"Right," Cordy told her. "Well - when I was trapped back in the 20's, I saw an old photograph that the past you had taken of the past me..."

"Cordy?"

The young woman looked down, as she told her big sister the rest of it. "It was of me and Past Xander. We looked...pretty close, when it was taken." She got a disgusted look on her face, "That's what burns me up inside. That somehow, the past me was turned against the past Xander in favor of Anton. She picked the evil shape-shifting immortal warlock, over the guy who was willing to die to protect all three if us..."

"I'd say that your soul learned more than one lesson back then," Prue told her.

A car door closing was heard from the open window, and it caused Prue to lean over and look out. "Well, well. Look who's home!"

Cordelia looked out the window as well, and bolted out of the room when she saw Xander getting out of his car in front of the manor. Prue stayed and watched, as her youngest sister ran out the front door - meeting Xander, as he was coming up the drive.

"Well, it's about damn time!" Prue said to herself, watching Cordy almost tackle Xander to the ground with an embrace and a deep kiss, which the young man returned wholeheartedly.

On the way out of the bedroom, Prue checked the date and time on her watch. (Gotta check the board, and see if I had today down in the betting pool...)

TBC...


	7. Chapter six b

Author's Notes: This is my Xander-centric version of the Charmed episode 216, "Murphy's Luck". Also has back story for the NBC series "Viper". (wwwdottvtomedotcom/Viper) As well as a tiny bit AU for the Nash Bridges ep "Something Borrowed". And just incase anyone doesn't know, the Belthazor in this is the Charmed series one, and not the big fat one from season 3 Buffy.

**And now...**

**San Francisco's SIU (Special Investigations Unit) HQ**

**Wednesday, January 17th 2001**

**2:30 p.m.**

Inspector Daryl Morris looked out over the water from their spot, farther down the pier. "This is just too much, man..."

"Yeah, well, I know it's a bit overwhelming..." Xander sighed, as he tossed some bread to the seagulls. The former Hellmouth resident had told his friend what was the what with the real world all around them, containing demons and vampires - and the black man was obviously finding it hard to cope.

"Overwhelming?" Daryl asked, turning back to Harris. "What you're telling me is that everything I ever thought was a fairy tale - is actually real. Hell, even kids' fairy tales are real!"

"Well, just the one that I know of so far," Xander said with a shrug. "But if the Gingerbread thing was real, then I'm betting the rest have some basis in fact somehow..."

"You were saying that vampires are the things I need to watch out for the most?" the cop then asked.

"Yeah," Xander told him. "They seem to be the most numerous kind of demon running around, that feed on human beings. Normally they hang out in nests of up to, oh, ten max, I'd say. And if they act too coordinated, then they could be the foot soldiers of a higher demon."

"Are the movies right on how to kill them?" Daryl wanted to know. "Stake through the heart, or cutting off the head?"

"If you go for the heart, it has to be wood. Or maybe blessed silver, but that's not so easy to come by without someone asking too many questions," Xander replied. "As for the head, anything goes. Slice and dice-age with whatever's handy. Set 'em on fire, and that'll dust them as well. Holy water is like acid to them, and that's lethal if you dunk 'em in it or whatever."

"Crosses and garlic?" Daryl asked, as they started to walk back to the SIU barge.

"Garlic never worked much that I saw back in the 'dale, although I've heard they hate the stuff," Xander said, walking alongside him. "A cross or other religious icon such as a Star of David and whatever the Muslim symbol is, they work as well."

"One last thing. If this world is full of these things?" Daryl commented. "Then I can't understand how I never came across...well, I don't know, SOMETHING before now!"

"You probably did," Xander told him with another shrug. "But your conscious mind just repressed it, out of trying to preserve your sanity. Take Cordy, for example. Sophomore year, she was about to be sacrificed to a vamp one night - and the next Monday she, along with everyone else, had turned them into gang members high on PCP!"

After a few more questions, they came onto the barge and were walking towards Daryl's desk - when Captain Bridges called them over. "Daryl, c'mere, you might get a kick out of this!"

Xander made to leave, figuring this was official police business, but Bridges called him over again. "Hey Bubba, you're not exactly a stranger! You can stay if you want..."

Walking over to the long table, Xander saw the two female cops he had met before. Officer Cassidy Bridges and Inspector Rachel McCabe. Also, there were Inspectors Antwon Babcock, Harvey Leek, Lieutenant Joe Dominguez, and a black man in a wheelchair.

"Inspector Daryl Morris, Alexander Harris," Captain Bridges said. "Allow me to introduce an old friend of mine." He indicated the man in the wheelchair, "Dr. Julian Wilkes."

"Pleased to meet you," Daryl told the man, as they shook hands.

"Same here," Xander added, when he shook hands with the doctor.

The captain nodded towards rolls of blueprints on the table. "Julian here was about to show us his baby."

Wilkes instantly unrolled one of the blueprints. "Hopefully, this is going to be the next generation in police pursuit vehicles..."

"Ah, Bubba?" Bridges told his friend. "I don't think the department will be shelling out for new Dodge Vipers-"

"It's not what you think, Nash!" Julian said excitedly, as he picked up another roll. "That's the Viper in regular mode." He unrolled the second roll. "This is the Defender mode."

Harvey whistled, as he looked at the printed image of the silver armored car. "Nice. But I don't get it."

Xander was the first to notice the upper right part of the blueprint. "Hexagonal morphing?" He looked to the grinning Wilkes. "They're the same car?"

"How can that be?" Harvey demanded. "The 'Defender' has the basic lines, but-"

Julian opened his laptop computer. "This is how it's going to work, and yes - once we get the funding, it WILL work..."

He hit Play, and the group watched as a 3-D animation of a standard red Dodge Viper appeared. The legend 'Activating Defender Mode' appeared underneath the car.

"Very cool," Cassidy said as all over the red car, hexagons became visible and turned the body silver. The side mirrors folded in and the rear tube shape along the doors retracted, allowing their silver counterparts to emerge.

The hood seemed to melt into the front of the car, making the headlights look like the eyes of a snake. Adding to the look, the front grill retracted to let two large fang-like protrusions take their place on the front. The armoured roof with double dark oval windows appeared next.

The final touch was a silver spoiler. The car in its complete 'Defender' mode looked very much like its reptilian Viper namesake.

"You can actually turn one car into another, at the push of a button?" Xander asked amazed, and at the same time wanting one for himself.

"We already have a working prototype of the morphing armour," Julian told him. "The car itself won't be ready for a while yet; it'll be a couple of years before we can pool all the systems into one." He looked to Nash. "I just hope you're the Chief of Police around here, by the time we get this baby into production."

"Bubba," Nash said, looking at the schematics. "If this engine works half as good as it reads..."

"I'm curious," Rachel said. "Why does the tube at the base of the doors change? Why not just have them 'morph', along with the rest of the body?"

Julian's eyes lit up at the question. He'd been hoping someone would ask that. "It changes for the weapons pods."

"Weapons?" Joe asked in amazement.

A third blueprint was unrolled. This one showing the inside of the twin tubes on each side of the Defender. Each had three launch tubes imbedded into them. "So far, the three payloads we are working out are the tunneller missile, a grappling hook, and a static pulse."

"What's a static pulse?" Cassidy wanted to know.

"An end to long car chases live on Fox," Julian answered. "After charging, the weapons pod will fire a pulse that will fry any target's electrical system."

"Nice," Harvey had to admit. "You kill the electricals, you kill the car."

"Better to short out the car, then let the guy run into someone down the road during the chase," Nash agreed. He then read off the rest of the specials list. "Four wheel tire enlargement, winch, extendable battering ram, and a holographic projector? If you can pull this off, it will be MIGHTY impressive."

"We already have one thing finished," Julian told him, as he activated another program on the computer. "If you wouldn't mind opening that silver case on the floor?"

Joe bent down, and unlatched the two latches on the deep medal case. Opening it up he asked, "And what is that supposed to be?"

Everyone looked in, to see a silver lunch box-sized device with two enclosed minute turbines on an arm sticking off of each side. Xander thought, (Reminds me of a miniature car engine...)

"Back up," Julian told them. And when they did, he activated the probe.

"Geez!" Harvey exclaimed, as the probe started and quickly rose up out of the case on its own. It hovered almost silently at eye level with the Inspector.

Harvey looked at the camera lens staring at him, then turned and saw the side of his face showing up on the computer screen. "Ah, man!" he groaned. "I don't have that many grey hairs back there, do I?"

"Sorry Harv," Nash told him with a grin. "That's the problem with getting old."

"So I'm guessing the car's driver can deploy this thing to look into dangerous areas?" Joe asked the designer.

"You got it," Julian answered him. "And it can do MUCH more than just record audio and video..." He changed the commands on the controls, and the viewscreen changed to infrared. Then the probe flew backwards to the roof of the barge, another level up.

They watched, amazed, as the entire SIU was shown in patterns of heat. "I'd switch it to night vision, but it's way too bright right now," Julian said, looking at the sun coming in from the open bay doors. "However, there's another trick it can do..."

He handed Xander the empty cardboard tube that the blueprints were in. "Here - hold this at one end, above your head."

"Okay..." Xander did as he was told.

They watched as the screen went back to normal on the laptop, and Julian clicked on the tube in Xander's hands. Two small leg grips extended from the base of the probe, before it shot into motion. Before Xander even knew what was going on, the probe flew down and snatched the tube from his hands, and then flew out the open bay door.

"Holy cow, that was fast!" Harvey exclaimed.

"Where'd it go?" Cassidy asked, looking around from the deck of the barge.

"Just watch the screen," Julian told them.

And they did. They watched the screen showing the probe's camera view, as it piloted out over the barge and into the parking lot. It went right where Julian directed it to go, Captain Bridges' bright yellow 1970 Hemi Cuda. The probe hovered right above the back seat, before dropping the tube into the seat.

With the sound pulled up, they could all hear the light 'thunk' the hollow tube made as it hit the seat through the speakers.

"And if that had been say, a bomb or weapon a crook had been swinging around..." Julian started.

"Not bad, Bubba," Nash said, as the probe flew back in. "That's why I will DEFINITELY be talking to the Mayor about a few of your cars!"

-

**Halliwell Manor.**

**Later that night**

Only a few scraps of the candle-lit dinner remained on the dining room table - a heavenly meal, made thanks to Piper's superb cooking. The pair of long candles themselves had long since been blown out. As the two people that had enjoyed the meal were now in the sitting room, furiously making out on the couch.

"Mmmm..." Cordelia said between kisses. "I can't tell you how much I've missed this!"

"I-" Kiss. "Couldn't-" Kiss. "Agree-" Kiss. "More!" Xander replied, as he slid on top of her, and wrapped up in each other's arms - the young couple seriously began to suck face.

Cordelia felt like she was almost in a state of bliss, as she held Xander tightly. And somewhere deep within the primitive reptilian part of her brain, she wanted to completely claim her man - mind, body and soul.

Forever.

The thing was, the former Chase girl disliked hypocrisy in anyone - herself included. Ever since Xander had returned she'd known what she wanted, so there was no point anymore in pretending that this was something it wasn't.

And feeling the sudden bulge in Xander's pants, Cordy inwardly grinned - as she realized that he wanted it as much as she did...

Things were starting to heat up, and Cordelia was just about to say "Bedroom..." - but then she hissed slightly, as Xander let go and got up from the couch to throw another log onto the fire in the fireplace. (Damn you, Xander Harris! Get your sorry ass back here right NOW!)

"Didn't want the fire to go out," he said with a half-smile. (Sorry, Cor, but I can't make it TOO easy for you...)

Ms. Halliwell looked at him with equal levels of annoyance, amusement and wanting. "Well, hey! I'd say we have plenty of heat on our own!"

The young man smirked slightly as he thought of what the night would bring, as he made his way back to her. (That we do, Cordy-)

However, Xander never made it the short distance.

A hand with rotting flesh snaked out of the shadows, and grabbed him by the right shoulder. Harris didn't even have time to register it, before he was airborne.

"Xander!" Cordelia screamed as she watched him fly through the air and nail the far wall, shattering several picture frames on impact - along with leaving a good-sized dent. He landed with a hard thud on the floor, and was very much knocked out cold.

Ms. Halliwell herself didn't have more than a second to flip herself over the back of the couch, as a blue energy ball from the demon impacted on the spot where she was sitting.

"Who the hell are you!" Cordelia screamed at the rotting flesh patrol, as she tried to think of something. Being the only Charmed One without an offensive power sucked, big-time.

"I'm your death, witch!" the demon yelled back at her, as he let an energy ball fly at the end of the couch where Cordelia was peeking out. She pulled back just in time; the energy ball shattered the end table, and the lamp on top of it.

"Look," the brunette called out, as she spotted one of Xander's zat guns lying in the wreckage of the end table - too far out of reach. "We were kind of in the middle of something here! Any chance you could come back and try to kill us in the morning? Say, around eight-ish?"

The demon's answer was to send several rapid-fire energy balls through the back of the couch, one coming close enough to singe her hair. "Come out now, witch, and face your death! Or else, I'll kill this one!"

"No!" Cordelia yelled, getting to her feet. "Don't you touch him!" And before she knew what she was doing, the former cheerleader had let loose a stream of fire from her right hand.

The demon, although surprised, easily avoided it. "Time to die!" he said to the stunned witch.

The front door opened at that moment. "Sorry, guys," Prue said quickly, coming into the manor. "I forgot my-"

Seeing the situation, the eldest sister acted on instinct just like the youngest had, as her powers stopped the fireball in mid-air. And turned it right back at the demon. The evil thing screamed as the energy crackled around it, causing it to vanquish.

"Cordelia!" she yelled, as Cordy ran to check on Xander. "What the hell happened?"

The brunette girl didn't answer her right away. She started checking her guy over; and the woman grimaced at the blood on his left arm. Xander had landed on a shard of glass from one of the frames, and a small but good-sized gash was thus evident.

Without thinking, Cordy tore off her expensive blouse sleeve and used it as a makeshift tourniquet to stop the bleeding. (Come on, Dweeb Boy, work with me here-)

"Are you okay!" Prue demanded.

"Yeah..." Cordelia told her finally. "But, uh, remember when I said the past me had shot fire from her hand?"

Prue just nodded, as she pulled out her cell phone to call for an ambulance for Xander. Her eyes then went wide, as she followed her sister's gaze - to the scorch marks on the far wall.

-

**Rose Heart Hospital, San Francisco, California.**

**A short time later**

Xander looked up, after inspecting his new stitches. "Hey, you do good work doc!"

"Why thank you, Mr. Harris," the older male doctor said, before he closed the curtain around him and his patient.

"Is there something else, doc?" Xander asked.

The M.D. sat on a chair across from the gurney Xander was on. "I just wanted to talk to you for a moment. Mr. Harris, I've seen your medical file - your entire medical file. From Sunnydale..."

"Oh," Xander said slowly, already knowing what the doctor wanted to talk about.

-

"He doesn't have a concussion," another emergency room doctor told Cordelia, Prue and the just-arrived Leo Wyatt in the waiting area. "However, he did require a few stitches from falling down the stairs that way."

"Can we see him?" Cordelia quickly asked.

"In just a few minutes. Dr. Swann is with him right now."

"Thank you, doctor," Prue told him. And as soon as he was gone, she hugged her sister. "See, he's okay. We're all okay!"

Cordelia nodded lightly, looking down. "The demon could have-"

"But he didn't," Prue told her.

Cordy wiped a few tears away, before glancing at Leo. "Does that fire thing mean that I'm evil now?"

The now-human male shook his head. "No. The only power that you can definitely assume to be demonic in origin, are energy balls. You may have just simply regained it, somehow. Do you think you could do it again?"

Cordy looked at her hand, "No...maybe. I don't know."

"Your powers have always been tied to your emotions," Leo told them. "When the demon threatened to hurt Xander, you must have gotten a rush and done it out of instinct."

Cordelia just shook her head along with what he'd said. "If that's what it takes, then I don't want to try testing it again anytime soon." She then blurted out, "God, what is it with me lately?"

"What do you mean?" Leo asked her.

"Oh, come on!" Cordelia told him. "Xander and I FINALLY get back together a week ago, and every time we're about to get...intimate...some damn demon or another attacks! Or we have to rush off to save an innocent. I swear, it's like the supernatural world has it in for me never to get laid!"

Prue could understand her sister's rant. Several times, her life had had to be put on hold to do the work they were destined for. (But at least Cordy's guy knows all about the big W word...)

-

**Halliwell Manor Kitchen.**

**Thursday, January 18th 2001**

**8:35 a.m.**

The next morning found Xander, Cordy, Prue, and Piper sitting at the kitchen table. Prue was sipping coffee while reading the metro section of the newspaper, while the other three had various brands of cereal in front of them.

"So, Xander," Cordelia asked her boyfriend. "What did Dr. Swann talk to you about, anyway?"

"Nothing important," was the young man's quick reply.

"Oh no you don't!" Cordelia said firmly. "Spill! Because I know it's not an embarrassing sexual disease..." Then she stopped, remembering who - in her mind - his only sexual partner was. "Oh God, it ISN'T some sorta embarrassing sexual disease - is it!"

"No," Xander replied. "It's nothing. Now can we just drop it?"

Cordelia shook her head, as she crossed her arms and just stared at him from her seat across the table. (I said spill, mister!)

"Oh please, Cor," Xander said, annoyed. "The annoyed stare thing won't work. This ain't high school no more!"

"Maybe not," Cordelia admitted. "But Xander, I have girlfriend privileges again. And so I can withhold some things, if you don't answer me."

"Come on," Xander smirked. "What are you going to do, kick me out of my room to sleep on the couch?"

"No..." Cordelia said, leaning in a little. "But I know for sure of one bed you won't be sleeping in, in the foreseeable future!"

That sentence caused the other two women at the table to silently lock eyes, the same thought going through their heads. (Yeah, right. The way she's been talking, she's going to burst soon if she doesn't get any!)

"You wouldn't..." Xander said, unsure.

"Just try me," Cordelia said, standing firm.

"Alright, fine," Xander sighed in defeat, as he finished off the last of his Cap'n Crunch. "The doc just wanted to talk to me about my many hospital visits. He thought he'd seen a...a pattern."

"But we're not there all that often," Piper said. "I mean yeah, with Leo out of the healing business now, we might need a few more trips there than before - but you weren't here for all that fun with my wacky tropical disease. So why-"

"No," Xander said tightly. "He got his hands on my medical file from Sunnydale."

"Oh," Cordelia commented. "Well, yeah, we all had some hospital time back then. He want to know about your broken arm from the Acathla thing?"

Xander didn't answer right away. He looked to all the occupants of the table, before making up his mind. (What the hell, there's no reason to hide it anymore. That part of my life is over now.) "No, Cordy. He wanted to talk about the records from my childhood. And we're talking years before either of us started helping Buffy out with the Slayage."

"Your childhood?" Cordelia asked, surprised. "When were you ever in the hospital, when we were kids?"

"Example? When I had my first broken arm," Harris told her. "I was eight."

"But you didn't have a broken arm when we were-" Cordelia started, but was stopped by her better half.

"Cordy, listen to me. You didn't know, because we didn't hang out in the same circles back then. I mean, I wasn't exactly on your mom's list for play dates with you; we'd been bickering nonstop from ever since we were six years old, remember?"

"So, what happened? You fell out of a tree, or something?" Prue asked, hoping that was what Xander was going to say.

"No," Xander admitted. "It was - well, a few days after my dad lost his job at the factory, and...and when he started to drink. He took it the wrong way that I was such close friends with Willow. See, her parents had started to do quite well with their practices..." He sighed and just said it. "From what I can remember, he was drunk and pissed off that I was spending so much time over at her house. So he came up to me and..."

"Xander?" Cordelia asked quietly. Her look of before was replaced with one of sadness. "Are you saying your father used to-"

"Yeah, he did," Xander told them with a shrug. "Supposedly, it was just an accident the first time. My mother didn't want it to get around, so they made something up at the hospital. They fought about it and after it happened again and again, well - good old mom didn't want to deal anymore. So she started to drink too."

"Xander, I..." Prue said with both shock and sympathy on her face.

"No it's okay," Harris told them. "That was a long time ago, and it's all over now." He got up and put his bowl in the sink. "It's all in the past, and my opinion - best left forgotten," the man finished up, before he left the room.

Cordelia of course got up and went after him, mere moments later.

-

**415 Magazine.**

**Later that day**

The band 'Four Star Mary' was getting their promotional photos taken, while one of the photography execs was checking over Prue's portfolio.

"Everything is shot in digital now, you know," Mr. Corso told her, as he flipped the pages of 8 x 10 pictures.

"Yeah, I'm equipped," Prue said, remembering the very large bill for all her new gear.

"Oh, I like this one!" Mr. Corso said, as he looked at a black and white of a little girl playing on a beach. "What lens did you use?"

"24f8," she responded.

"Shutter speed?"

"125," Ms. Halliwell answered, as an assistant handed Corso a copy of one of the band's just-taken pics. The man shook his head. "Okay, lose the kicker," he told his assistant. "Let the shuttle play there."

The other man nodded and left, as Mr. Corso closed Prue's portfolio. "Impressive."

"So, does that mean I got the job?" Prue asked, trying not to sound too eager.

"Based on your portfolio, yes," Corso said - before he picked up a sheet and looked it over. "Based on your resume, no. Took a detour shutter bugging, did you?"

Prue didn't miss a beat. "Mr. Corso, I've changed careers, I'm not hiding that. But with all due respect, if you like my work - that should be enough. I mean - you're hiring me, not my resume."

Mr. Corso mused over her words for a moment. "You want a shot?" He picked up a rather unflattering headshot of a blond woman. "Get me a better one of Maggie Murphy. Word is she might be featured in our St. Paddy's day issue, if her situation doesn't change in the next two months..."

He handed her the picture. "Something about being the unluckiest woman in San Francisco. And she's Irish. Down the hall where they do the writing, they call that irony. Address is on the back. Hmm, and funny thing is up until three months ago, she was like a saint. Helping the homeless, volunteering, charity...then like overnight, everything started going bad for her. Real bad."

Corso held up her portfolio, before giving it back to the witch. "I want what you have in here, Prue. Artistic...soulful. I wanna see the inner Maggie in your photograph, and I wanna see it by five o'clock today...or don't bother coming back."

(Great, no pressure there!) Prue thought but said, "Thank you."

-

**413 North Fergus Avenue, San Francisco, California.**

**A short while later**

The five-story apartment building's roof door opened to let out a timid-looking blond woman. It was Maggie Murphy, and she did NOT look good at all. Her eyes were red from crying, and she cautiously made her way to the edge of the roof.

Looking over the edge at the tiny people on the sidewalk below, Maggie said to herself, "What am I doing? This isn't me..."

But being non-magical, she couldn't possibly detect the bald demon behind her. One who was wearing a completely black suit. Which was a trademark signature of the mortal enemies of the whitelighters; a darklighter.

When the demon spoke it used Maggie's voice, "Yes it is. It's all my fault."

Maggie's face changed as the thoughts entered her mind, and just as before she believed them to be her own. "The car accident, the fire, my brother's death. I hurt the ones I love."

"I hurt the ones I love," Maggie repeated out loud to herself.

The demon spoke again in her head. "I have to stop it."

Maggie sobbed, "It has to stop. I don't deserve to live."

"This is who I really am. Cursed," the darklighter added.

Maggie spoke it at the same time: "I'm cursed."

She slowly climbed up onto the ledge. The few people on the sidewalk under her looked up when one man called out, "Hey, look up there!"

One of them got on his cell phone to call the police. Seeing how his work was done, the darklighter black-orbed unseen to the crowd below, to watch Maggie fall.

As the crowd grew bigger, Prue showed up in her car across the street. Surprised to see a crowd, she was then stunned to see a woman on the ledge. The eldest Halliwell looked from the woman that she could just make out, to the picture in her hand. "Maggie?"

Shaking her head furiously Prue then said, "No!" Her head slumped down, as her body remained standing next to her car.

But Prue's astral self appeared on the roof, with the potential whitelighter. "Maggie, don't. Just wait..."

The other woman spun around and started. Through her tears she demanded, "Where did you come from? How do you know me?"

"It doesn't matter," Prue said calmly, as she moved a step closer and extended her hand. "Just step away from the edge, and take my hand."

Maggie recoiled in fear. "Stay away from me!"

But Prue remained calm. "Maggie, please, I can help you."

"Nobody can help me," the blond sobbed harder.

Prue moved a tad closer. "Maggie, this isn't the answer."

Maggie looked at this woman, who she suspected would be the last one she ever talked to. "All I wanted to do was help people. Now all I do is hurt them!" Before Prue could respond, the sound of sirens below startled Maggie. She lost her balance, when she looked to see an ambulance and a patrol car pulled up.

The crowd yelled out in panic when she fell, then stopped. Prue had run over and grabbed hold of her hand, her other one holding a piece of pipe to keep herself from falling. "Maggie!"

"Let me go, please!" Maggie pleaded with her would-be savior.

Prue groaned at the strain. "Come on, I can't hold on much longer..." But less than two seconds later Maggie's grip on Prue's hand slipped, and she fell.

Prue's astral form returned to her body in the same instant. Looking up from the street again, she was instantly horrified. "No!" Using her powers, Ms. Halliwell slowed Maggie down mid-fall, and pushed her over the large canopy over the door to the building.

Maggie bounced on the canopy like a trampoline, and fell the small distance to the grass with only a minor bruise. As the EMTs and the crowd rushed to her, she saw Prue across the street. (Oh my God...)

After the two locked eyes, Prue got into her car and quickly pulled away. The oldest Halliwell not wanting to risk the questions, if Maggie talked about her to the police or EMTs.

The blond watched her drive away. "Wait..."

However, she was cut off as the EMTs started checking her out for injuries.

Off to the side of the crowd, the darklighter just groaned in annoyance. "Well, of all the luck..." He shook his head after one last look at Maggie, before he black-orbed out.

-

**Halliwell Manor Kitchen.**

**A few minutes later**

Piper was writing a letter at the counter as Cordelia came in via the back door, dropping her backpack on the table. "Hey, I thought you had inventory at the club."

Piper sighed. "I do."

"So then, what are you doing here?" her younger sister asked, as she grabbed some bottled water out of the fridge.

"Trying to figure out what to tell Dan," Piper admitted.

"About what, honey?" Cordy asked, coming over.

"Leo."

"Oh, that!" Cordelia looked at the letter. "Wait-wait-wait, you're not actually writing him a Dear John letter - are you?"

"No, of course not!" Piper said quickly. "He deserves more than that. A lot more, but it's just hard. I don't wanna hurt him. Dan's a great guy and he's been really good to me, and we've never really had any huge problems-"

Cordelia cocked her head a tad. "Besides the huge problem that you really love Leo, and he really loves you? Plus, he gave up his immortality for you..."

"I know," Piper said. "Which is obviously good for us - but I don't know, lately he's just seemed a bit - restless."

The youngest Halliwell wiggled a finger at her. "You're thinking too much again. Stop trying to predict the future, alright? That's my job! Just follow your heart, Piper. Only good things will happen, I promise."

Piper nodded, realizing Cordy was right. As she started to tear up the half-finished letter she asked, "Did you talk to Xander?"

"Yeah," Cordelia said. "He and I had a talk about it, before I left for school." Shaking her head she sighed, "Back when we dated the first time around, I never wondered too much about why he didn't ever want me over at his house. I mean, I just thought it was because his dad was drunk all the time. Not because that asshole abused him! I was thinking about it all morning during class, you know, and I can't believe I missed all the indicators-"

"No one can know everything," Piper told her.

"Yeah, but I should have known at least that much!" Cordelia said angrily. "Unfortunately, it's sad but true to say I was too busy getting pissed at him about his clothes, or his jokes, or how much time he spent with Buffy and Willow..." She looked at her sister, as Cordy put her right hand over her heart and raised her left hand. "But Scout's honor. This time I, Cordelia Halliwell, swear that I will pay more attention to my boyfriend."

"Why, is Cordelia Halliwell growing up some?" Piper teased, before she grabbed her purse. "Alright, I'm going back to the club. Love you."

"Love you too!" Cordelia called after her as she left.

-

**SIU HQ, San Francisco, California.**

**Shortly before noon**

Daryl and Maggie walked down the gangplank and were about to enter the glass doors to the station, when she stopped. "Miss Murphy?" Daryl asked.

Maggie looked at him, slightly terrified. "I-I can't go in there."

"You don't really have a choice," the man told her gently.

"Am I under arrest?"

"No," Inspector Morris told her. "But there's some paperwork we have to get started on."

Still very timid Maggie asked, "Are there guns in there?"

Daryl nodded. "It's a police station."

"They might go off somehow," She saw the doubt in his eyes, "I mean, things like that happen around me - and I don't want anybody to get hurt."

"I'm more concerned about you hurting yourself," Daryl said to her. "Come on, nothing's gonna happen." He put his hand on her back, gently pushing her into the station and towards his desk.

"You don't understand..." Maggie said, looking around the large area.

Daryl kept his voice calm. "Trust me."

"You can't help me," Maggie insisted. "Nobody can."

As they sat at his desk, Daryl said, "We're gonna find somebody who can. First, you have to answer a few questions about what happened this morning."

Maggie just looked down. "I don't know what happened. It was like a bad dream, only it wasn't. Voices in my head. Everything spinning."

"Is there somebody you want to call?" Daryl asked her. "Family, friend?"

"No, no, no," Maggie insisted quickly, shaking her head hard. "Keep them away from me, I'm not safe to be around. I shouldn't even be here. I shouldn't be alive, and if it hadn't have been for that angel-"

Morris looked at her, surprised. "Excuse me?"

Maggie wiped her tears away as she spoke. "She just appeared out of thin air, when I was on the rooftop. She reached out her hand, and then when I was falling - it was like something slowed me down, like she guided me onto that canopy."

"The angel?" the Inspector asked.

Maggie nodded firmly "Yes, she saved me."

Morris leaned in, not liking where he thought this was going. "Help me out here. What exactly did this woman look like?"

-

**Halliwell Manor.**

**A few minutes later**

Prue came in through the front door, carrying her camera bag. Cordelia came into the foyer from the sitting room where she had been watching TV, "So, how'd it go?"

"What?" Prue asked, as she set her bag down on the small table and looked through it.

"The interview," Cordelia asked. "Did you get the job?"

"Yeah, I did," Prue said.

Cordy noticed the silent 'but' in her voice. "Prue, are you okay?"

Prudence Halliwell looked back up. "There was a woman that I'm supposed to photograph, but when I got to her apartment - she was on the roof, ready to jump."

The shock was clear on her sister's face. "Oh my God, she didn't..."

"Yeah, actually, she did," Prue told her. "Luckily, I was able to break her fall with my powers."

"She is SO lucky you got there in time!"

Prue shook her head. "I keep on thinking that if I'd been even a minute late..."

"But you weren't. You were supposed to be there in time," Cordelia said very firmly. "You were supposed to save that woman's life, I believe that."

Prue looked at her. "You're really into this whole destiny thing nowadays, aren't you?"

Cordelia just shrugged. "I didn't used to be. But with all the stuff we've seen, and all the innocents we've saved? Not to mention finally getting my honey back? How can I NOT believe?"

The cordless phone ringing cut off Prue's reply. "Hello?"

Daryl's voice came through the phone. #Hi, Prue. You weren't by any chance outside 413 North Fergus Avenue this morning, were you?#

Prue didn't know if she wanted to say yes. "Uh, why?"

#Well, I've got a Maggie Murphy here. She claims an angel saved her this morning,# Daryl told her. #An angel that, by her description, bears no resemblance to Della Reese.#

"But does resemble me," Prue replied.

Morris answered at once, #Yeah, bingo. Of course, everyone around here thinks she's nuts.#

"Um, Daryl, is Maggie alright?"

#That's not for me to say,# Morris replied. #I have to send her over to Psych for mandatory 72-hour observation-#

Prue heard a crash in the background, and what sounded like Maggie repeating over and over, "I'm so sorry!"

Daryl went on, #Poor woman, it's like she's snake-bit or something. Listen, Prue, you better stay clear of here so she doesn't ID you. I'll keep you posted, okay? Bye.#

But as she hung up the phone, Prue made up her mind. She was like she was with every innocent the Charmed Ones had to save. Thus she just grabbed her bag, and moved for the door.

"Where are you going?" Cordelia wondered.

"I'm gonna go see Maggie," Prue told her. "Something tells me that I may have stopped her doing something stupid, but I certainly didn't save her."

Cordelia grabbed her keys from the key rack. "Well, I'll come with you. Maybe something from my psych class can help..."

-

**P3 club, San Francisco, California.**

**The same time**

Piper Halliwell was standing facing the bar, while her bartender Leo Wyatt was on his knees with the boxes that had just been delivered. "That can't be right," Piper commented as she checked her clipboard. "How many swizzle sticks?"

Leo's faraway answer of "Who's counting?" caused Piper to look down, to see him staring at her legs.

Busted, the guy quickly looked back to the boxes in front of him. "Uh, I don't know, a lot. You think you might have over-ordered?"

Piper tried to ignore it, even though deep down - she didn't really mind him looking. "No, um, they over-shipped..."

Leo started to pass the boxes to her, as she put them on the counter. Unexpectedly, one of the boxes' badly-sealed bottom broke, and the red plastic sticks fell all over Leo.

"Oh!" Piper said, surprised as Leo picked a stick out of his hair.

"My fault," the bartender told her. "I should have remembered how flimsy those boxes are-"

Piper knelt down, and started helping him pick them up. After a moment, she felt her ex looking at her. "What?"

He at first tried to play it off, "Nothing..." But then Leo blurted out, "Piper, are you mad at me?"

Ms. Halliwell instantly dismissed that, despite having been acting rather weird with her bartender/former boyfriend/whitelighter. "No, don't be ridiculous. Why would I be mad at you?"

The man shrugged, "I don't know, that's why I'm asking. What is it?"

The witch looked VERY uncomfortable. "It's just, um, Dan."

Leo instantly felt a chill. "Oh. Never mind, sorry I asked."

He got up and was about to go wipe the bar, when Piper said uncertainly, "Um, he's-he's going to be..." She broke off, and stood up herself. "He's going to be very upset when he finds out...you're the one that I really love."

The former angel couldn't believe it. (Did I actually hear her say that?) "Yeah?"

Piper said softly, "Yeah."

For this man, it was as if he'd gotten his whitelighter wings all over again. He took Piper in his arms, and they kissed.

And kissed.

And kissed...

But then Piper broke it off, "Mmm, no wait, um, we can't do this."

Leo didn't get it. "But you just said..."

The flustered nightclub owner stammered, "I-I-I know, but I really need to talk to Dan first."

The guy just nodded, accepting that. (This is gonna be hard for her, doing the right thing and all. But it couldn't be any other way, I guess. Dear God, I love her so much...)

-

**SIU HQ, San Francisco, California**

The darklighter black-orbed into the police station, unseen by the normal humans working there. Taking in his new surroundings, he transformed his dark suit into a police officer's uniform.

After that, he phased into the station fully and took a seat on the edge of an empty desk. He absently flipped through a file folder from the desk as he kept an eye on Maggie, who was sitting on a bench with a female cop.

Daryl walked down the metal stairs, to where the two women were sitting. Holding up a styrofoam cup he told Miss Murphy, "I brought you some coffee."

Maggie released a small smile at the kindness. "Thanks."

Daryl gave her a small smile back, before he turned to the uniform officer. "I'll take it from here, thanks."

"Yes, sir," the policewoman said, getting up. She gave Maggie's shoulder a squeeze, before going back to her duties.

When Inspector Morris sat down next to her, Maggie looked back up. "I saw her, you know. The angel, she saved me..." the poor woman said, almost pleading. Most, including the policewoman who'd just left, didn't believe her.

Knowing what he did about Prue, Daryl told her in a friendly voice, "I believe you, Maggie, really I do."

The cop lifted the coffee cup to her - and as she reached for it, Maggie accidentally spilled it on his lap. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she said quickly, Daryl jumping in pain as the hot liquid spilled onto his pants.

"I'm okay," he told the Irishwoman, not wanting to cause her more grief. "I'm just gonna go wipe this off." Daryl turned to head over to the bathroom - when her voice stopped him.

"Maybe you should just stay away from me," Maggie said to the man, not wanting anything more to happen to yet another nice person only trying to help her.

"It takes more than spilled coffee to get rid of me," Morris told her firmly, before heading over to the men's room.

By chance when Daryl goes into the restroom, Prue and Cordelia came in through the station's main doors. "Xander was right," Cordelia commented, after looking around at the unusual station. "This place IS a bit funky. Hard to believe they held rave parties in a future police station..."

Prue nudged her little sister to get her attention. Farther into the station, Maggie held her hands together as she looked down at the deck. "That's her," the eldest Halliwell said.

Cordelia looked towards her older sister, wondering, "Any idea what you're gonna say to her about the whole angel thing? I mean, anything that won't get us on a supernatural episode of 'Unsolved Mysteries'?"

Prue just lightly shrugged that question off. "I'm not really worried about that, I'm more worried about her." With a look to her sister she added, "I've been thinking. Maybe I could write a spell?"

Cordy perked up "A spell for what?"

"Help put a little good luck in her life," Prue said.

As much as she didn't want to, Cordelia disagreed with the idea. "That's really sweet - but you can't keep using your powers to save her, y'know?"

"I know," Prue sighed, looking at Maggie. "But maybe it'll help her turn things around, make her see that life's worth living."

Maggie leaned back into the bench and her feet slid out a bit, right as a cop was walking by her. The officer tripped on her feet, and fell right into a full water cooler. And his impact knocked it over, causing a large spill to short out several computers all plugged into the same surge protector.

Several cops yelled in anger, as the PC's they were using shorted out. But no one seemed to notice the darklighter trying to hold back his laughter, as he watched the scene...

As he watched the tripped cop get very annoyed with Maggie. "Thanks a lot, lady!"

Maggie Murphy just fell back into her seat, as many in the station eyed her warily. She then buried her head in her hands, as a few tears fell.

"There, you see?" Prue asked Cordelia. "I have to do something!" Glancing towards her more spell-wise sister she asked, "Alright, I'm gonna need your help. How do I do this?"

Cordelia told her honestly, "You don't need my help. It's your connection. It just has to come from the heart."

Prue took a deep breath. "Alright, here goes..." She made up a spell on the spot, "From this moment on your pain is erased, your bad luck as well, enjoy your good luck Maggie, you're free from this hell."

As soon as she finished it, Prue felt something and looked down. Two tiny pea-sized white balls of magic shot out of her hands and headed for Maggie, to the young woman's amazement.

"Whoa, cool!" Cordelia said, as the orbs made contact with Maggie and she seemed to glow for a moment. The two Charmed sisters suddenly noticed that no one else had seemed to see this; the 'muggle effect', as Cordelia called it these days, seemed to be at work again.

The look on Maggie's face and her body language seemed to change instantly. From sad and crying to carefree and happy, at the flip of a switch. (What...what's happened to me? Why do I suddenly feel like this?)

Daryl came back, unknowing of what had happened, and slipped on the now-wet floor. But Maggie suddenly caught him, before he fell and broke his ankle.

"Thanks," Morris said, as she let him go.

Maggie looked at the black man as if she'd just won the lottery. "Did I just do that? I mean, help you?"

"Yeah, you did," Daryl said simply, as they sat back down. "You okay?"

A little lightheaded at the weight suddenly being lifted from her, Maggie just nodded. "Yeah. I think I am."

On the other side of the barge, Cordelia couldn't help but smile at the look on Maggie's face. "Looks like her luck is already changing."

Prue had a grin as well. "Let's get outta here. Daryl can handle it for now."

They turned and began to move towards the doors, not noticing the shocked and angry look the darklighter was giving them. "Not so fast..." the demonic agent whispered, as he let fly one of his own bits of magic.

And while Prue's spell had been white, this spell's energy was totally black. The dark magic headed for its intended target, the oldest Halliwell, but luckily for Prue - it was intercepted.

The darklighter was angered even more, as a man seemed to shimmer out of nowhere and grab the spell with his hand. Prue and Cordelia left through the doors without a look back, missing the event entirely.

"How did you...?" the darklighter started to say.

But he was cut off by the new man in a light-colored suit, "We have to talk."

-

**The SIU pier parking lot.**

**A few minutes later**

"I gotta tell you, for your first spell - you packed quite a punch," Cordelia told Prue, as she got in the passenger side of her sister's convertible.

"You told me to speak from the heart, I did," Prue responded.

As she buckled her seat belt Cordelia said, "Still, y'know, it took me a few times before my spells actually worked."

"Really?" Prue asked, surprised. Her younger sister was the one who'd had lots more practice at this. When Cordy just nodded, Prue got a little grin. "Well, it must be my lucky day."

-

**An abandoned warehouse nearby.**

**The same time**

The still-angry darklighter was demanding to know what was going on. "Why have you-"

"Calm down, my friend," Cole Turner told the lower-rung agent of evil. "Your talents can be better used on another target. There's a-"

"No," the darklighter said, interrupting the lawyer. "Who the devil are you? No mortal could have stopped my spell like that. Not many demons could, either."

"Oh, that?" Cole said, sounding bored. "That was just a little trick I picked up, back in the 20's. Only works on lower end magic." Without waiting to hear the question re-asked, Cole changed into his demon form.

The darklighter looked up in mute surprise at the red and black demon, now a foot taller than he was. "Belthazor?"

"You know of me," the now-deeper voice of the half-demon said.

"Who doesn't, in the underworld?" the darklighter commented. "Although I haven't heard much about you, as of late."

"Well, I had to set up my new mortal life," Belthazor said, as he shifted back into his human persona. "That's the trouble with the humans, they only live for so long before they age and die. I had a good life set up for myself, before I had to fake my mortal death and come here."

"Why DID you come here?"

"The sun, sand, a few young mortal women in bikinis?" Cole remarked, amused. "But now that I know the Charmed Ones are here..."

"The witches?" the darklighter gasped. "I didn't...are you sure? There were only two of them-"

"Yes, well, you haven't met Piper yet," Cole answered. "The middle sister."

Now the darklighter was very confused. "Then why did you stop my spell? The witch would have killed herself in a day-"

Cole didn't think that was true. "The Charmed Ones are more powerful than normal run-of-the-mill witches, you idiot. They would have picked up on it. Or their whitelighter would have." He smirked a little at the darklighter, as it heard the name of his antithetical counterpart. "But your new target..."

"I don't take orders from you!" the bald man said angrily.

Sighing theatrically, Cole riposted, "No, normally you wouldn't. But do you know who it is that's working to eliminate the Charmed Ones?"

The darklighter's voice gained some respect. "The Triad."

"That's right," Cole said with a sneer. "And any order they pass on, is just the same as if it had come from-"

"The Source," the darklighter whispered.

"Correct," Cole said at the name of the head demon in the underworld. "And as I said, that spell wouldn't have succeeded on the Charmed Ones; eventually they would have seen through it. You can't attack them directly, so you must attack those around them. A loved one."

"Their whitelighter?" the darklighter asked, liking the idea of taking on his counterpart.

"No," Cole said simply. He held up the palm of his hand, and in a tiny ball of flame an image began to take shape. An image from Cole's own memories.

The image of Cordelia Halliwell lying on the couch in the manor, with her head on the lap of one Alexander Harris.

"Him."

-

**San Francisco, California.**

**About 30 minutes later**

Xander was walking down the street, after his car decided it didn't want to work anymore, towards a new bookstore that he had heard about. It was a bit outside of his normal haunts in his new home city, but every bookstore was worth a look in his life nowadays.

You never knew what you might find, in the way of an occult section. And what the hell, he was already in the area.

As he turned the corner, Xander didn't notice the bald man in the suit at the sidewalk café. He did, however, notice the sudden chill he just got. "What?" the young man asked himself, as he looked around.

Finding nothing that would have caused the feeling or creep him out, Harris turned and went into the store. The darklighter just stared after him in confusion, uncertain about...something he'd felt, when cursing the young man the same way he'd intended to curse Prue.

-

**Bay Area Books Music, San Francisco, California.**

**A few minutes later**

Up on the second floor, Inspector Rachel McCabe walked over to her partner Officer Cassidy Bridges - who was checking out the World War Two books. "The World At War?" she asked, reading the title.

Cassidy flipped to one particular chapter in the thick book. "It's a new edition." She pointed to an old picture of a good-looking man in a uniform.

"Nick Bridges?" Rachel asked. "Your grandfather?"

"Yep," Cassidy said with a lot of pride. "After about 50 years, he finally got his Navy Cross a while back. And it's now in the history books."

"What did he do?"

Cassidy leaned on the banister, overlooking the main floor of the store. "During the Battle of the Atlantic he was helping treat an injured gunner, when he says he heard an engine noise. He looked up, and saw a kamikaze heading right for his ship's bridge. He grabbed the guns and started firing, shot the plane down just in time."

"Whoa," Rachel said, amazed. "But why is something like that getting into the record books NOW?"

"Apparently, he was nominated for the medal by the ship's captain. But Grandpa was seeing an admiral's 18-year-old daughter," Cassidy told her with a grin. "So that horse's ass squashed the nomination, and kept them apart."

"Kind of harsh," Rachel commented.

"Yeah," Cassidy responded. "But Grandpa says that if he had kept seeing her, then my dad and I might not have ever been born - so it all worked out okay in the end."

Rachel was going to say something else about it, when she noticed someone down on the first level. "Hey, isn't that Harris down by the magazines?"

Cassidy tucked the book under her arm, as she looked down. "Yeah. Guess so."

"Well?" Rachel asked her partner in perplexity. "Are you going to go talk to him, or not? I know you like him-"

"No point," Cassidy said quickly. "Daryl told me today, that he's gotten back together with his old high school girlfriend-"

"That's exactly the point!" Rachel interrupted at once. "That's why you shouldn't wait to see..." she then trailed off, as it happened.

Xander Harris turned away from the magazines, and tripped. As he started to fall he tried to grab the rack and missed, grabbing a young woman's breast instead. (Crap...)

"Hey!" the college girl screamed, as she slapped him.

"No, I didn't..." Xander tried to get out before he was then shoved back into the plastic magazine racks by the girl's boyfriend. "Asshole!"

Unfortunately Xander's impact knocked loose something, and all the racks started to fall to the floor in rapid succession.

-

**P3 club, San Francisco, California.**

**2:00 p.m.**

Leo was counting the glasses hanging on the rack, while Piper was checking over the list. "Damn," the man said softly. "Piper, I'm going crazy here!"

She looked up at him, slightly surprised. "We're almost done."

The former handyman turned to face her. "That's not what I mean. Look, you can't come in here and tell me what you just told me - and act like nothing's changed. Everything's changed!"

Piper could understand where he was coming from. "I know, believe me, I know. But Dan is out of town, and until he comes back..."

"When?" Leo asked, hoping he wasn't sounding too demanding. "When's he coming back?"

"Next Thursday," Piper said lightly.

Leo's eyes went a tad wide at that. "A week? Can't you call him or something?" At the look on her face, he shrugged. "It's just, you know, I-I've been waiting for this, for us, for so long. I don't wanna wait any longer."

Piper's reply was cut off, as Prue's voice came down the steps leading to the outside world. "Piper? Leo? You guys here?"

"Prue?" The middle Halliwell sister asked, as she saw her two sisters come down the stairs from the entrance. Both had pleasant smiles on their faces. "I didn't think you guys were up to anything today-"

"Oh, nothing much," Prue said, as she sat on one of the bar stools. "Just that I got to my photo assignment, right as she was about ready to kill herself."

"What!" Piper and Leo shouted at the same time.

"Don't worry," she told them. "I used my powers to break her fall. Then Cordy and I went over to the SIU, after Daryl called."

"Yeah," Cordelia chimed in, putting her arm around her older sister. "Thing is though that one quick good luck spell later, poor old Maggie is suddenly right back on her feet. I gotta say, our big sis is turning out to be quite the spellcaster!"

The youngest witch was then going to make another comment, before she noticed something, "Ah, Piper?" she said with a grin. "Your lipstick's smeared..."

"It is?" Piper asked as she quickly blushed, and Prue and Cordy started looking between her and Leo.

But she was saved from any embarrassing sisterly questions, when Prue's cell phone rang. "Hello?" She walked over to the other end of the club to talk on the phone. "Yeah, Mr. Corso, there was a problem with Maggie..."

Cordelia tilted her head towards Prue. "She got the magazine gig. They told her to photograph this girl named Maggie Murphy."

Leo looked at her in mild surprise. "The unlucky Maggie Murphy?" Both sisters looked at him, causing him to shrug. "I saw a piece on her on TV. I mean, you'd be surprised how much you can watch the idiot box, when you're not orbing all over the world anymore..."

"Well, anyway," Cordelia said, as she ate a few nuts from a bowl Piper had been munching from. "She's not unlucky anymore. Prue cast a spell to turn her luck around, after she saved her from jumping off a roof. Pretty scary, huh?"

"That's more than scary," Piper told her.

Prue walked back over to them. "Alright - Mr. Corso said that if I don't get that photograph of Maggie, I can kiss my career goodbye." She looks the others. "I mean, how can 'she tried to kill herself' not be a good excuse?"

"Y'know...at least it's a good excuse to go check up on her," Cordelia said with a frown.

"Yeah, I better stop and get gas too," Prue said, as she grabbed her camera bag and made for the stairs.

"Later," Cordelia told Piper and Leo. "Don't want my ride to leave without me. And you two, be good!"

After her sisters left, Piper noticed Leo appeared deep in thought. "Now what?"

Leo looked at her, concerned. "I was just thinking about Maggie Murphy."

"What about her?"

Leo just couldn't get rid of a nagging feeling in his gut. "It's just that she was doing all these good things in her life, and then all of a sudden her own life goes to hell..."

"So..." Piper asked, sitting on the stool Cordelia had vacated.

"What if, you know, all these accidents in her life weren't actually accidents?" he asked her. "I mean, what if something was trying to make her jump?"

Piper didn't like that idea at all. "Something like?"

"A darklighter...maybe?"

-

**Bayside Mental Clinic, San Francisco, California.**

**A short while later**

At the clinic, Maggie was back to doing what she did best; helping people. Stuck in here for 72 hours, she was nonetheless helping an old woman down the corridor. "It's okay, Mrs. Idleman. Let's just get you out in the sunlight, and let you see what's going on in the world. That's it, you're doing fine..."

Not far away, Cordelia and Prue were talking to the darklighter - who was now dressed as a doctor. The soulless thing said, "Maggie has made a remarkable turn-around. Severely depressed this morning, now suddenly she's smiling, laughing, helping others. However, I'm afraid her recovery is only temporary."

Prue looked confused, "Why do you say that?"

The darklighter almost purred, "Once you've been on that ledge, Miss Halliwell, you can never forget it. That deep dark place never goes away. It haunts you, beckons you back."

Cordelia had disliked this guy on instinct, from the moment they'd met. (How the hell did YOU ever get a job like this? You're just as bad as Snyder was, at being a high school principal...) "That's not true, doctor. I don't believe that for a second-"

The darklighter tried to restrain his fury, and letting no sign of it appear on his face. "Oh, are you a psychiatrist?"

She didn't back down for an instant. "No, but I still don't think that that's true. Lots of people recover from depression. I've had my own rough patch, and I got through it..."

The doctor/darklighter appeared to shrug. "Be that as it may, I'm afraid it's different for people in Maggie's rather unique situation. She still feels responsible for all the tragedies in her family's life. That pain doesn't just magically go away, you know."

Prue tried to keep the peace, as her sister and the doctor started glaring at one another. "Um, may we see her?"

"Of course," he told them, as he hit the button to open the doors to the patient area.

The duo then walked up to Maggie, who said to the witch, "I hoped you'd come, so I could thank you - and ask you some questions. God, I have so many questions..."

Prue looked nervous, "Maggie, I-I-I think you may have the wrong idea about me."

The potential whitelighter looked at her and shook her head. "You saved my life."

The brunette woman prevaricated, "Yeah, but there was so much going on this morning. I mean, it was really confusing, there were so many people-"

Maggie cut to the chase. "That doesn't change what you did. Who are you?"

Prue sighed. "My name is Prue. This is my sister, Cordelia."

The former cheerleader grinned, "Hi, Maggie."

Maggie smiled at her. "Two angels."

"We're not angels," Prue told her right away.

"Well...a group of freshmen called me that at the beach, back in junior year," Cordelia mused, with a wistful smile. "And, oh! I know an Angel, but that's just his name. 'Cause no way in hell is that guy a-"

Prue lightly hit her sister on her shoulder, shutting her up. "Maggie, how are you feeling? Better, I hope."

Maggie smiled brightly, "Honestly, I feel great. I couldn't be happier."

The meeting then proceeded smoothly, as Prue took some pictures of Maggie. The blond woman babbled on about how she just couldn't get over how everything had changed, suddenly. How she felt like a thousand-pound weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Oh, I know how that feels!" Cordelia said, before trying to bring up another not-so-nice topic. She hesitantly asked, "Um, Maggie, I was wondering if I could ask you a question?"

The woman nodded, "Sure, anything."

Cordelia flushed a bit. "I'm trying to be a little diplomatic here, Xander thinks I should work on it..." She tried, but failed to change her ways. "Oh, forget it. How the hell did you..."

Maggie sighed, "How did I get on that ledge?"

"Yeah."

Miss Murphy looked lost for a moment. "I really don't know. All I know is, I just wanted it all to stop."

Cordelia looked a little confused. "Wanted what to stop?"

"The voice in my head that kept telling me that I was hurting people, not helping them. That I was causing pain and trouble wherever I went. That it was all my fault. It was like I was cursed."

-

**Halliwell Manor Attic.**

**2: 30 p.m.**

Leo and Piper entered the room, and went over to the Book of Shadows. "There's a whole section in here on darklighters..." After flipping a few pages, the brunette woman added sheepishly, "...somewhere."

"Someone really should index this thing," Leo commented, earning a look from Piper. "And Xander was going to, remember? Before he left on his "making sure this is real" trip?"

After she flipped some more pages, Piper asked him, "Are you sure about...this?"

The bartender instantly knew what she was talking about. And so, now it was Leo's turn to give her a look. "Piper, I've been a whitelighter for over 50 years. I know how darklighters work. I've never been more sure of anything," he said, as he took over looking.

"Okay..." the witch said, giving in.

"Piper...we could have some serious trouble, if it's what I'm thinking it is..." Leo told her, as he found the right section in the book. "Damn it!"

He turned the book towards Piper, and she quickly read the section Leo was pointing at. "You have got to be kidding..."

The text read:

_Darklighter Variations: _

_VII Spirit Killer - Forces good souls into suicide through telepathic suggestion. Very dangerous._

-

**415 Magazine.**

**3:00 p.m.**

Prue waited, as Mr. Corso looked through the shots of Maggie that she had managed to get. "Not bad," the man told her. "Decent shots in that lighting, and on the clock."

"The background still sucks, though," Prue had to admit.

Corso shook his head. "Nah, besides - the editing guys can always take it out..." He looked up at her. "But I do have to say, I'm surprised."

"So, does that mean I have a job here?" Prue asked lightly.

Mr. Corso nodded, with a quick look back to the photo he'd picked. "I definitely think we can work something out."

-

**San Francisco, California.**

**A while later**

Xander was walking along, wanting some time alone to think things over. He had been constantly bumping into people and causing them all sorts of assorted mayhem, on the streets and elsewhere. He also didn't sense the magically hidden darklighter, walking right behind him.

The demon started to talk in Xander's own voice "It was all my fault. I'm responsible. I was a problem child, always mouthing off, constantly getting into trouble..." The thoughts entered Xander's mind, at the same time the demon spoke them.

Now normally, Harris would have dismissed them immediately. However with the darklighter's black magic hitting him at full strength, the thoughts were getting to the young man. Even more when the darklighter kept going...

"I shouldn't have wanted to talk to Buffy that night. I should have already been inside the Bronze, with Willow and Jesse! Then they wouldn't have been taken. It's all my fault he was turned back then, if I hadn't known him - he would still be alive today..."

The demon smiled, when Xander started to tear up. "I'm so sorry, Jesse. Guess it's no wonder you don't want me around in Sunnydale..."

The foothold firmly established, the darklighter began to look through more of Xander's memories for ammunition to use against him.

-

**Halliwell Manor.**

**The same time**

Piper and Leo were coming down the staircase, at the same time Cordelia and Prue came in through the front door. "Guys, I got the job!" Prue exclaimed happily.

However, the two sisters' joy was not shared by the other duo. "Geez," Cordelia said, annoyed. "What's with you two?"

Piper just said it. "Demon."

"Oh, of course!" Cordelia said, more than a little upset as she threw her hands up. "Because I was just going to go get some massage oil for Xander and me tonight, and so it had to happen..."She stopped, when the former Chase girl saw them looking at her. "Right, shutting up now."

"Well," Prue mused, "At least it waited till after the job interview this time. Did it attack here?"

"No," Piper said. "We think it attacked Maggie, or rather - it was attacking Maggie..."

"Was attacking?" Cordelia asked, confused. "I didn't see any demons near that woman..." She looked to Prue. "Did you see any?"

Prue quickly shook her head. "What are you guys talking about?"

Piper motioned with her head, as she went into the sitting room. As they sat around the two couches Leo told them, "I think it's a darklighter."

"A darklighter?" Prue asked. "I thought they only went after whitelighters? You know, the big mortal enemies thing..."

"There are different kinds of darklighters," Leo informed them. "All of them go after whitelighters if we ever encounter one another, but a few also have their own specialty - like going after mortals."

"Seems that this one is a Spirit Killer," Piper said, very uneasy.

"Oh, well..." Cordelia groaned sarcastically, "I can tell this is going to be fun! What's that mean, really?"

"This version of darklighter takes a proactive approach to hunting whitelighters," Leo said with a bit of anger. "Like I've said before, my kind can tell who their future peers are going to be. But the thing is that darklighters can, as well."

"Right," Prue responded. "Like the one who went after Daisy last year?"

"Yeah," Leo answered. "However - the Spirit Killer doesn't have the touch of death, he instead uses telepathic suggestions to push the victim towards suicide."

"But wouldn't that be sorta counterproductive?" Piper wanted to know. "I mean however the person dies, they still become a whitelighter-"

"Ah, no..." Leo told her with a sigh. "Because becoming a whitelighter isn't a sure thing. Never is. If the person goes too far to the dark side, as Xander would put it, or if the person commits suicide - then they don't become one of us."

"But that makes no sense!" Cordelia said. "Okay, I can see not letting a bad guy become a whitelighter tracking here, but if they're murdered by a darklighter pushing them to kill themselves-"

"It doesn't matter," Leo interrupted her. "If a potential dies by their own hand...they don't become one of us. They can't. A suicidal whitelighter is something that's been shown to cause more harm than good, so they're automatically rejected."

Cordy still didn't look convinced, "Well, still, that's not taking into account what happens with the bad guy! I still say it's not suicide - it's murder."

The one-time guardian angel denied it, though. "Not technically. The darklighters, they never actually push their victims; they just always compel them to jump."

"Could the darklighter have just moved on from Maggie?" Prue wondered. "When we saw her earlier, she didn't seem anything like the suicidal woman she was before..."

"Yeah, and that's what worries me," Leo told his former charges. "I'm guessing the darklighter saw you cast your spell on Maggie - your magic is stronger than theirs. But if so, they would have tried to curse one of you..." He looked at Prue and Cordelia. "Have either of you had anything bad happen, ever since that spell was cast?"

"No," Cordelia answered at once.

"Me neither," Prue said. "I mean, I got the job and all..."

"Could the Power of Three have just canceled it out?" Piper asked.

"Not without you three knowing what was happening," Leo said firmly. "Even a witch at you guys' level of magic, would still have some of the spell rub off on you." He shook his head. "Trouble is, I simply can't see a darklighter just leaving after a victim of theirs is saved. They're like pitbulls; they would keep on trying, till SOMETHING stopped them."

"So, we should be on the lookout for what?" Piper asked. "Bad luck? But how can we possibly tell if a bit of bad luck is because of a spell, or just fate?"

Leo's answer was cut off by the phone ringing. "Hello?" Cordelia answered.

#Hi, this is Inspector Rachel McCabe at the SIU. Would Xander be home? I've tried his cell, and couldn't reach him.#

Cordelia's territorial alarm system went off slightly, as the cop Xander had mentioned being 'not at all bad-looking' called asking for her boyfriend. "Ah, no, he's not here. But I, Cordelia Halliwell - his 'girlfriend' - would be happy to take a message..."

Cordy could hear a laugh in the other woman's voice, after she'd stressed the word girlfriend. #I just wanted to tell him that his car's in the police impound yard, or rather what's left of it.#

"What!" Cordelia cried. "What the hell happened to Xander's car?"

#It seems he parked it in a tow away zone. And that area of town is not the best place to leave a car; his radio and tires are gone. Luckily, the tow truck got there before they could jimmy the trunk open.#

"Xander just left his car?" Cordelia demanded. "Why would he do that?"

#We think it broke down on him,# Rachel answered. #The engine's had it, if all the junk dripping from the radiator is any indication. Boy, first the bookstore and now his car; that guy, he's not having a good day today!#

"What bookstore?" Cordelia asked at once.

#Bay Area Books and Music,# Rachel told her. #He practically fell onto a woman, and just about got beaten up by her boyfriend. Plus on top of that, he single-handedly destroyed the entire magazine wall rack!#

"Yeah, that is bad...luck," Cordelia said, as her head shot up. "Is Daryl there?"

Having heard everything, her sisters and Leo just watched her closely as Cordelia's attitude changed in an instant.

-

**SIU HQ, San Francisco, California.**

**The same time**

"Yeah, just a second," Rachel said, before she covered the phone with her hand. "Daryl!"

Inspector Morris looked up from his paperwork, a few desks down. "Yeah?"

Rachel held up the phone. "Line three. Cordelia Halliwell wants to talk to you!"

Sighing, Daryl picked up his phone and opened the line. He waited till Rachel hung up, before he spoke. "Cordelia?"

After a moment he said quickly, "Whoa, calm down! I haven't seen him since yesterday-"

When he noticed Rachel and now Cassidy watching him, Morris turned away so that he was looking towards the window. "Look, I CAN'T put an APB out on him just like that!" Then he whispered, "What the hell's a darklighter?"

"What do you think is going on?" Cassidy asked her partner.

"I'm not sure," Rachel said honestly. "But if I remember right, Daryl's old partner got investigated for working with the Halliwell sisters..."

"Working with?" Cassidy asked. "But they're not cops or anything. How could..." Then she stopped, as Daryl hung up his phone and grabbed his jacket.

"If Xander comes in, do me a favour - keep him here!" Morris told the two women. "I'm going to check out his car, to see if I..."

"Rachel, Daryl, Cassidy!"

They all turned to see Captain Nash Bridges and Lieutenant Joe Dominguez walking their way. "We've got a location on the drug sale. Asses in gear, people, we've got to hurry - or we'll lose the entire fifty kilos!"

As the rest of the group started to follow the big shots to their cars, Daryl hung back for a second, cursing. (Damn it! Gee, sorry, Captain, but I have to go make sure my friend isn't in trouble - from some sorta demons? Yeah, sure, he'll buy that!)

With nothing else for it, Morris quickly ran to catch up - hoping this case could be wrapped up quickly.

-

**Halliwell Manor.**

**3: 30 p.m.**

"You think the darklighter is going after Xander?" Piper asked her sister, as she hung up the phone. "Why? And how would it even know about him? I mean, why go for a mortal when it can try for a Charmed One?"

"She's right, Cordy," Prue said. "If this darklighter was following us, it doesn't add up; as we haven't seen Xander since this morning. Long before I did the spell on Maggie-"

"Trust me. It's just a gut feeling, you guys, but I'm sure I'm onto something!" Cordelia said, as she started to pace. "I mean - Xander can be clumsy, a little - but that cop lady said he took out an entire display at the bookstore? Plus, his car finally falls apart and gets stripped!"

"Cordelia..." Leo said, playing devil's advocate. "We all know that Xander's car was already on its last legs..."

"Yes!" Cordelia said quickly. "But his car dies stranding him on the other side of the city, and none of us get a call to give him a ride home?" She looked at Piper and Leo. "Have either of you talked to him?"

"Not since this morning," Piper admitted, casting a glance to Leo she asked, "Could the darklighter have gone after Xander? You did think he could become a whitelighter..."

"I did," Leo nodded, ignoring the face that Cordelia made at hearing that. "But when you three went to the future, apparently he didn't become one? Well, like I've said before, his destiny's a real gray area; and there's no way to know for sure if a darklighter would sense Xander as a future threat. But better safe than sorry..."

"Let's try him ourselves before we panic, shall we?" Prue said calmly. She took out her own cell, and hit Xander's name on her speed dial. Cordelia waited anxiously, as Prue waited for her boyfriend to pick up.

#We're sorry, but the number you are trying to reach has been disconnected for lack of payment.#

"Well?" Cordelia demanded of her sister.

"I don't get it," Prue told her in confusion. "It said Xander's phone number was suspended, because of non-payment?"

"Uh-uh," Piper shook her head. "I paid the bill last week, when I went to the post office. He couldn't find a stamp, so I took it for him. The money was mailed off on time, I know it was..."

"It just doesn't make any sense!" Leo said, not understanding. "I mean, why go after a question mark like him - now? Apart from incredible coincidence, there's no way the darklighter could ever even have known about Xander! And if he could have gone after anyone close to you three - it would have been me!"

"Who cares why?" Cordelia yelled. "After we save Xander's cute butt, I can torture this thing and get our answers then!"

Prue stood and asked Leo, "Is Xander strong enough to fight this thing on his own?"

Leo quickly shook his head. "Physical strength doesn't matter, in this sort of fight. It would all be going on inside Xander's head. The darklighter uses powerful suggestion, to make the victim believe what he's hearing is his own thoughts. They can drag it out like he did with Maggie, or he could possibly ramp it up..."

"In order to make Xander want to jump quicker," Piper finished for him.

Prue was about to say something, when the sound of glass shattering was heard. The two older sisters and Leo looked at Cordelia; as she had punched her fist through the glass cover on the lighted book case.

"Cordy!" Prue yelled, as she helped her sister slowly pull her slightly-bloody fist out of the now-jagged glass.

Cordelia looked at her oldest sister, with definite fire in her eyes. "I swear to God, I am not losing him again!"

"It's okay, honey," Piper said, as she helped sit Cordelia down. "We'll find Xander, we will-"

"Damn right we will!" Cordelia said, not noticing the pain. "And I'm going to kill this thing, I kid you not! God, I'm sick of this crap! These things want to come after me, fine. But no one messes with my boyfriend!"

And Cordelia had no way to know how eerily she'd echoed the words once spoken by Buffy Summers, the vampire Slayer...the day she and Xander had first gotten together back in 1998...

-

**Flashback**

**1630 Revello Drive, Sunnydale, California.**

**August, 1999**

"Xander, you can't leave!" Willow shouted, springing up from her spot at the table as Giles and Joyce looked at her in surprise.

This was the time Cordy had first met her biological father, and just gotten off the phone with her former boyfriend. And Harris just sighed, knowing that the next few minutes weren't going to be easy for anyone. "Look, Wills, I know you're upset-"

"UPSET? You're darn tootin' I'm upset! You're ditching us, your _family_, to go off and do what? Be Cordelia's sugar daddy, or whatever?"

"Willow!" Joyce exclaimed, before Giles caught her eye and dragged her out of the room. The Watcher had seen signs of this argument coming, long before Xander had left on his road trip...

Buffy then stood up as well, she stood next to Willow in front of her friend. "Xander, come on! This is pathetic. If you want to get me interested in dating you, you don't have to resort to stupid ideas like this!"

Xander just stared at the duo in shock. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Buffy and Willow just looked at each, before calming down a little. "Xander, you don't have to deny it like you did earlier, it's just us here now. You don't have to try to shock me into anything, with the threat of you leaving! I've told you, I've never seen you that way - outside of a bad love spell-"

Finally, Xander was pushed past his limit. He got up and stared down the blonde girl, "Buffy, get over your delusions here! Because I haven't thought about you that way, in ages!" The absurdity of it all getting to him, Harris snapped. "Besides - even if I did, there's no telling _what_ you might have picked up from Deadboy-"

Willow's eyes went huge. "ALEXANDER LAVELLE HARRIS! You apologize for that at once!" she shouted, as Buffy's eyes filled with tears.

"What the hell for?" Xander shouted back, making Willow step back in fear - and her boyfriend Daniel Osborne instinctively got in front of her. "I dunno where the heck you two got this idea that I still want to get into Buffy's pants, but let me tell you something - I don't! I'm moving to San Francisco-"

"So you can be with CORDELIA!" Willow's voice was full of scorn. "That useless skanky 'ho?"

"Don't call her that, Willow. Or else so help me God, I might start thinking that about you!" That remark also made Willow's green orbs shiny and wet, as Oz clutched her to himself tightly.

Harris went on, "I mean - why should I stick around here, people? For the maybe once-a-week five-minute coffee get-togethers - whenever the three of you get bored, during college?"

"Xander-" Oz started to say.

But the former Slayerette ignored him. "And lemme just say, I haven't forgotten how you guys want me to stay out of the slaying, even though I've saved all your asses in the past! What, am I supposed to hang around waiting for you people to talk to me, whenever you can be bothered - for the next four years!"

The youth took a breath, before a thought stuck him. "For God's sake, it'd be as if I was your friend in high school - but never even went into the library! And Cordelia needs me, along with her sisters-"

Buffy had recovered by now though, and angrily snapped out, "Fine! Go be with her, then. We'll probably be that much better off, without your dead weight around here!"

Buffy then looked like she regretted that statement the moment she'd made it, and didn't enjoy the look everyone instantly sent towards her. "I-I'm sorry, Xander, I didn't mean that-"

"Yeah! Me too-" Willow added, worried that her first-ever crush was truly going to leave her behind.

But Xander just shook his head, the bad feelings for the Scoobies pushing him out of the group - and still thinking he was fighting the good fight only to boff Buffy - getting to him. "Forget it! Look, sorry, but I'm outta here..."

Xander grabbed his jacket off the hook, and only paused long enough to say, "G'bye, Joyce, thank you for a lovely meal. Giles, feel free to look me up if you're ever in San Francisco..."

And with that, he was out the door.

And out of the Scooby gang's everyday lives.

**End Flashback**

-

**San Francisco, California.**

**Thursday, January 18th 2001**

**3:45 p.m.**

Xander sat by himself on the park bench, as the memories flooded back to him. Or at least, he THOUGHT he was by himself...

"I was wrong," the darklighter said into Xander's thoughts. "It was all for my own good. I'm just a normal human, after all - I can't really do any good against demons or vampires. I'm useless to the cause, I just get in the way..."

Xander shook his head, unknowingly fighting the demonic influence. (No...that's not true! I've taken out lots of demons both here and in Sunnyhell, and Lord knows how many vampires!)

These thoughts made no sense to him. (Hell, Deadboy's a vampire! An old one, yeah, but still just a vamp. It's the lowest of the low in the demon world, and yet he supposedly kicks ass in LA? Kennedy's last email said that...)

The darklighter looked surprised, as the human began to fight back against the dark magic. (No matter,) it thought, as the evil thing cranked up the level of persuasion. (I haven't lost anyone yet...)

It spoke in Xander's own voice once again, "No, come on, I can't keep making excuses for myself. Buffy and Willow were right all along; I just wanted to get together with Slay-gal. She's everything I ever wanted, from the moment I laid eyes on her. A smart, strong, beautiful girl to think I'm more than just a soon-to-be drunken wife-beater like my Dad. I'm just fooling myself with Cordelia..."

(No!) Xander tried to fight it. (None of that is...true...)

"It IS true," the darklighter said firmly. "I sent Angel to Hell with my lie. If I'd have told her Willow was trying the spell again, then odds are Buffy would have been able to hold him off. She's the Slayer, she could have handled one measly vampire - no matter what her feelings..." At the end of his words, the demon upped his power even more.

"She's the Slayer," Xander whispered, as he put his head in his hands. "Jesus, I really am just a jealous bastard. I..."

"I don't deserve to live," the darklighter said with a hard edge.

"I...don't deserve to live," Xander repeated, as a tear tricked down his cheek.

-

**Halliwell Manor Conservatory.**

**The same time**

The large, window-filled room that bathed its occupants in sunlight was always meant to be a calming, relaxing place for the manor's residents. At the moment though, it wasn't working out that way for the foursome present therein.

"Why won't you work, God damn it?" Cordelia Halliwell yelled, as she angrily tossed the cordless phone towards the far wall - after yet another unsuccessful attempt to contact her boyfriend.

Only Prue using her powers saved the device from smashing into a dozen pieces, as she quickly redirected it in mid-air. Thus, it landed harmlessly in an empty padded chair.

Leo stopped pacing, and faced the three sisters. "Cordelia, you're our best shot here."

"Me?" the youngest witch asked. "Why?"

"You've known Xander your entire life," Leo told her. "And he's never told me much about what it was like for him growing up, other than he was damn glad to get away from his family way back when. Are there any events in his childhood that were very...traumatic?"

Cordelia just snorted at that question. "Oh, just take your pick, pal! It was so bad at his house that he slept outside on the lawn during Christmas Eve, even after he knew that vampires were everywhere in that town..."

"Why ask about his childhood?" Prue asked.

Leo leaned on the back of her chair, as he answered. "It'd be easy for the darklighter to push Xander towards suicide, if he can mirror an event from his past. As the wounds from childhood are almost always the worst ones."

"What do you mean?" Piper asked.

"Say when he was 14 years old," Leo said as an example. "Xander had thought of suicide. It could have been no more than a stray thought, on a very bad day. He wouldn't have done it then, but the darklighter can make him think he would have..."

"And once he thinks he would have done it back then," Piper finished for him. "He would be more likely to think of it now!"

"Right," Leo said with a nod.

"Anyone have any ideas on how to find the big dork?" Cordelia asked desperately, looking between Leo and her two sisters. "'Cause our magic is hit and miss with regards to him, and he's not a witch - so scrying won't cut it..."

Piper could easily tell how upset her sister was getting. "Okay, so we can't find Xander. But can we find the darklighter?"

"No," Leo said right away. "Not without a whitelighter. We sense each other."

At that moment, the forgotten cordless phone started to ring. Cordelia instantly dashed for it, "Xander?"

#Hey Cordy,# came Xander's saddened voice from the other end.

-

**Bayview Park, San Francisco, California.**

**The same time**

At the park, Xander was at a pay phone. He looked utterly defeated, after hours of the darklighter working his mojo on him. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry-"

#Where are you! And sorry for what?# Cordelia's voice said back.

There was only silence in reply. #Look, Xander, whatever you think is going on, whatever you're feeling - it's not real! There's a demon-#

"There always is, isn't there?" Xander said, downcast. "Demons are always after me, I must be some kinda demon magnet! First Buffy and Willow had to look after me, and now I'm bringing them straight to your new family-"

#No!# Cordelia yelled into the phone. #None of this is your fault, Xander! Those demons are coming after the Charmed Ones, after me - not you! And you're just being used to get at us-#

"You don't have to make excuses, Cordy, not anymore," Xander whispered. "I know for a fact that all I bring you and everyone else is pain and heartbreak. All I am is the Zeppo, you were right all along..."

The darklighter smiled, his prey was now in the zone. So he sent Xander another subconscious nudge.

Harris looked up, to see the tall buildings in the distance. His eyes zeroed in on the five-story parking garage, just past the large park. And a sense of calm came over him, when he saw it.

"It's okay, Cordy," Xander said into the phone. "I understand what I have to do now. At least no one will have to worry about me again. Just find someone who'll treat you like you deserve, okay?"

#What?# the Charmed One's voice shouted through the phone. #Xander, God damn it, listen to me! Don't do anything, nothing! We're coming to get you, just please tell me where you are!#

After less than a moment Cordelia added heartbreakingly, #Please, Xander. I love you! Just tell me where you are, right now!#

"No point," Harris told her vaguely, his mind seriously messed with. "Daryl'll be able to tell you. And you'll be much better off without me..."

The darklighter shoved with all his might, and Xander ignored her cries as he hung up the phone. Now looking at the building in the distance, Xander just sighed as he started walking off towards it.

The darklighter kept talking to him, as Harris started on his path to damnation. "I have to do it. If I don't, I'll just get them all killed eventually. I should have been the one to have died back then, not Jesse. Jesse would have never cheated on Cordelia, with Willow..."

"I should have been the one Darla picked, back then," Xander murmured to himself, as the words were thought in his head.

-

**Halliwell Manor Attic.**

**The same time**

"Xander!" Prue tried to comfort the crying Cordelia, as the former Sunnydalian yelled into the phone. "Damn it! Please, sweetheart..."

Piper came over and hugged her sister as well. "Did he give you any idea where he was?"

"No," Cordelia whimpered, as she cried on her sibling's shoulder. "That _thing_ is using something I said to Xander years ago, to push him over the edge..."

Prue took the phone and looked at the screen. Every part of the last call showed 'Unknown'. She showed it to Leo, "Not even a time of last call. The darklighter can affect caller ID?"

Leo just nodded. "It must know who you three are now, after going through Xander's memories. The darklighter won't be taking any chances-"

"There has to be SOME way to find him," Piper said, as she held onto Cordelia. "Did Xander say anything, or did you hear anything that could give us any clue?"

"He, he said Daryl would be able to tell me," Cordelia sniffed.

Prue swore. "Because he would be called to the scene afterwards, just like he was with Maggie!"

Cordelia's head bolted up. "What did you say?"

Prue looked down. "I'm sorry, Cordy, but they'll call Daryl after they find-"

"No!" Cordelia said, very determined. "Son of a bitch! It's been right in front of us, all along!"

"What is?" Piper asked her.

"Maggie!" Cordelia yelled, as she quickly wiped away her tears. "She can do it!" The young woman ran to the table, grabbed the folded city map they'd used for scrying and moved to the front door. "Well? Will you guys come on?"

Leo started to head out with the other two sisters. "I'm coming with you-"

No," Piper said, stopping him. "Somebody has to stay here, in case he comes back, or..."

"Piper," Leo told her, annoyed.

But the Halliwell woman stood firm. "If we find him, the darklighter will be there too. And if he recognizes you..." She didn't have to finish the thought, since Leo knew that he could do nothing to defend himself against his enemies now.

"Piper, I really hate this," Leo stated. "I hate not being able to look after you guys!"

She cupped his face with her hand. "I know. I'm sorry."

They shared a quick look, before the witch ran to catch up with her sisters.

-

**San Francisco, California.**

**4:00 p.m.**

Near the edge of the park, the darklighter kept urging Xander onward. "I gotta keep moving, keep walking. I have to save Cordelia from any more demons, they'll leave the girls alone if I'm gone. I have to do it. Keep walking, yeah, keep walking..."

"Got to keep walking," Xander said. "Just keep going. I have to end it..."

-

**Bayside Mental Clinic, San Francisco, California.**

**A short while later**

"Maggie!"

The blonde woman looked up, from helping a elderly man do a crossword puzzle. "I'll be right back, Mr. Burns..."

She got up and went over to two sisters she'd met earlier in the day. "It's good to see you both again..." She looked at Piper. "I don't think I've met you, though..."

"Oh, I'm..." Piper started to say, but she was cut off by Cordelia. "She's our other sister, Piper. Look Maggie, sorry to rush you here - but we don't have a lot of time. We need your help!"

Maggie's eyebrow went up at that. "What could I do to help you?"

Cordelia went to a nearby counter, and unfolded the map. "I need you to point on the map."

"I don't understand-"

"It's okay, Maggie," Prue told the woman. "There's a friend of ours, who's like you were. He's in trouble, and we just need you to find him for us."

Maggie still didn't understand, but she would do anything to help the woman who'd saved her life. She didn't look, and just pointed on the map.

Piper looked where her finger had landed. "43rd and Belmont." Looking towards Prue she added, "That's just off the end of Bayview Park, right?"

Prue just nodded, as Cordelia quickly grabbed the map. "Okay, that's not too far from here - we have to move!"

As the three sisters ran for the door, Prue looked back. "Thanks, Maggie!"

"You're welcome!" Maggie called back. (Off to save another person. They really are angels...)

-

**San Francisco, California.**

**4:10 p.m.**

A couple blocks from the park, the cops from the SIU were watching as the patrol cars took away the drug dealers. "Not bad for a day's work," Nash told Lieutenant Dominguez.

Joe just shook his head. "A fraction of the street value of that stuff, it could pay little Lucia's college tuition a hundred times over..."

"Don't worry, Bubba," Captain Bridges told him. "You have a long time before that..."

Joe looked back, when Nash trailed off. "What?" He then saw Nash looking at the building on the end of the block, the parking garage. And then man climbing onto the ledge.

"Come on!" Nash yelled, as the rest of the SIU cops took off after him.

(Xander?) Daryl thought, as he saw his friend from the short distance. "No, damn it!"

-

**Vista View Parking**

Xander was on the ledge with unashamed tears streaming down his face, as the darklighter continued unrelentingly to whisper in his head. "That's it. It's the only way. It's the only way to save the ones I love. I should've done it before. Back when my dad first beat me up."

"I didn't want to," Xander said faintly.

"But if I had, so many people would still be alive today," the darklighter said to him. "Like Jesse, Ms. Calendar, Harmony, even Andy. Because of me, Prue lost Andy. That demon could only have been after me!"

By this point, the lies were no longer distinguishable from the truth within the mind of Xander Harris. And the darklighter had to admit, the mortal had held out for much longer than he'd expected; anyone else would have checked out ages ago.

"I'm responsible for all of them," Xander said as he cried.

The darklighter was loving this. "It's all my fault. Jump. Jump."

-

**Halliwell Manor Attic.**

**The same time**

Leo was by himself, searching through the Book of Shadows. "There's gotta be something in here. Damn it!" He slammed the book closed. "I can't just sit back and do nothing. Think, think!" Mr. Wyatt ordered himself, as he took a seat on a nearby trunk.

"There's got to be a way that I can..." Leo trailed off, as the idea hit him.

And looking up towards the ceiling the former guardian angel yelled out, "Give me my powers back. I want my powers back!"

Nothing happened. So Leo tried again, "I want my powers back, and I want them back now!"

When his yelling still went unanswered, he sighed, "I can't keep being mortal if this is the cost..." Looking back up, Leo spoke to the Elders - who he knew had to be listening. "No, I don't wanna lose Piper. But I also don't want to keep her, at the expense of losing Xander..."

He was definitely pleading now. "This is my calling. You have to let me help. For whatever reason Xander's important, we all know that! And if you do nothing, he's gonna die. You have to give me my wings back!"

Again, nothing happened; and so Leo closed his eyes, not knowing what else to do.

When all of a sudden, his hands started to tingle. Leo's eyes shot open, just in time to see his right hand start glowing with a soft golden light.

-

**Vista View Parking**

**The same time**

Xander was just about to let go of the railing, when a sudden voice stopped him. "Xander, don't let go!"

Both human and darklighter whipped around, to see Daryl and the other cops rush from the stairwell. The cops, of course, could only see and hear Harris - and so missed the evil thing's look of instant rage.

"Stay back, Daryl, I have to do this!" Xander called to his friend. "It's the only way they'll be safe-"

"Don't do it, Bubba!" Captain Bridges called out, as they tried to get close without scaring him. Cassidy was in shock that the guy she'd been thinking of asking out, was now about to jump off a building. (Boy, did I miss all the signs or what?)

Daryl didn't see any other choice; he didn't have time to call the Halliwells. (Damn! Here goes nothing...) "Xander, listen to me. Cordelia explained it to me. It's a darklighter that's doing this to you. You gotta fight it!"

Nash stopped and looked at Joe, but his partner shrugged - just as confused at what Daryl was trying, as the police captain was.

But said darklighter quickly squashed any doubt in Xander's mind. "What does he know about them? He's never even seen a darklighter, he didn't even know about vamps till I told him what was the what! Don't listen to him!"

"Xander?" Daryl tried again. "It's the same one that went after Maggie. Trust me on that!"

"No, he's lying!" the darklighter said, his inner rage growing. "Nothing was after Maggie, she just knew what she needed to do. Just like I have to!"

"I have to do this, Daryl!" Xander called to his friend. "You should let me, after all - it's my fault Andy's dead!"

Now that caught Daryl off-guard. "Xander, what the hell are you talking about? That wasn't you, you weren't even here then! Remember, you'd gone back to Sunnydale?"

Before anyone else could say anything, a black Jeep sped up the ramp. It quickly squealed to a stop, right in front of Daryl. And like the Inspector, the sisters didn't care that the other cops were there at the moment.

"Get away from the railing, Xander!" Cordy called as she ran for him, but stopped when he almost let go. "Xander, please, this isn't you. The darklighter is making you do this!"

"I'm all alone," the evil thing drilled into Xander's mind, as Harris inadvertently tried to fight back.

"Alone," Xander said vaguely, through his tears.

"Listen to her, Xander!" Prue called out, going for broke. "He put a spell on you, just like he did with Maggie. We saved her, so now he's going after you in revenge!"

The demon kept whispering, "There is no darklighter. There's only me."

"Just me," Xander said at the same time, his eyes unfocused.

Cordelia tried to get close again, but that only made Xander almost let go. "Alexander Harris, you get off that ledge right now!" she screamed, the old Queen C persona surfacing for a moment.

"Don't pressure him, for God's sake," Captain Bridges told her, only to get a nasty look from the witch.

Prue could only think of one thing to try. (Come on, concentrate...speak from the heart, like you did with Maggie!) "Make this demon show his face. Reveal the evil to everyone, in this time and in this place."

The results of Prue's quick spell caused the cops to draw their guns, however two people didn't notice the new event. The darklighter, or Xander.

"Jump, damn it!" the demon yelled at Xander. "Hurry up. End it before I hurt them again!"

Xander had been looking down at the street below, and was so surprised at the new voice right behind him that he almost slipped - again. His emotion-filled face looked over towards the bald demon, and an epiphany took place in his brain.

"Son of a bitch, it's true..." Harris whispered, looking at his nemesis. "Sorry, asshole. But you lose!"

The darklighter was utterly shocked. "How did you?"

Looking back, he then saw everyone staring right at him. "No...you can't see..." But that was all he got out, before Prue used her powers and hurled him away from Xander. The demon landed in a heap a couple of feet away.

Instantly Cordelia and Piper ran to Xander, and quickly helped him back to the right side of the railing. "Are you okay?" Piper asked at once.

"Cordy?" was all that Harris could ask, as he hugged her tight.

"It's okay, Xander," she told her boyfriend, as Cordelia and Piper carried the emotionally exhausted man between them from the ledge.

Now that Xander was safe, Prue didn't hold back. As with any oldest child, no one messed with her family and got away with it - without answering to her! And to the oldest witch, Xander was as much a Halliwell as he was a Harris - even more. "You bastard. How dare you hurt people this way!" She gestured again, and sent the darklighter flying into the ramp wall, hard.

"Daryl, what the hell is going on here!" Captain Bridges demanded to know, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"All we need to know is, he's the bad guy!" Daryl told his captain, as he aimed his gun at the darklighter.

"Wait, he's unarmed!" Lieutenant Dominguez called out.

(No he isn't!) Daryl made a decision, and fired right at the demon's bald head.

And the shock of the other cops over him shooting an unarmed suspect grew ten-fold - as before the bullet arrived, the evil thing orbed out in a cloud of black lights.

And reappeared in the same spot, after the bullet hit the wall behind him. "You can't kill me, idiot human!" it sneered at Daryl, before looking over towards the Charmed Ones. "And neither can you..."

"Wanna test that theory?" Cordelia asked with rage in her eyes, as she left Piper holding onto Xander. She held up her right hand, as it seemed to catch on fire. The witch then hurled the column of fire at the demon, who again black-orbed out and back in again.

"Whoa!" Inspector Leek said in disbelief, as the fire was thrown.

The darklighter looked back at the now-scorched wall. "Foolish witch. That might work on slower demons, but not with me!"

"It doesn't matter what it takes!" Prue tells him. "We won't stop, until you're gone!"

"Likewise, you idiot!" the demon laughed at her. It did a quick sweep of the people on the roof, and zeroing in on the youngest cop he taunted her, "Well. I wonder how long it would take me to push young Cassidy here, to kill herself?"

Cassidy's face went white, as her father stepped in front of her. "You're not going anywhere near my daughter, pal-"

"Oh? Does this mean you're volunteering to go first?" the hair-challenged demon continued to taunt. "I mean, can't you just see the headlines? 'Police Captain Hangs Himself In The Shower'!"

"I think you better stop talking, before I order my people to put you in the ground," Nash said in a hard voice.

"Do I look like a purse snatcher to you, Captain Bridges?" the demon asked him laughingly. "By all means, try...oh, that's too good!" he said, as the damned thing looked at Cassidy again. "Now that's going to be easy to use, I have to say..."

"What?" Cassidy looked at her dad, but before Nash could guess what the darklighter was talking about - the demon spoke in a new voice.

The voice of the deceased SIU Inspector Evan Cortez

"Cassidy, if you hadn't come to Vegas to see me - I wouldn't have been distracted. And I wouldn't have gotten shot. My death is all your fault..."

As his daughter's face filled with tears at the verbalization of that horribly dark thought buried within her mind, Nash turned to Prue. "I don't care what it takes, sister, but this...thing is going down. Talk to me, how do we stop him?"

"Couldn't agree more," Prue replied. "But I don't know how!"

"Well, tell you what - I'm willing to give you all some time to try and think of something," the darklighter told them mockingly. "Because I have to pick which one of you I want to see kill themselves first, after all! It might start in a day, a week, or even an hour. But don't worry, Xander Harris. I won't forget about you - because you have to die!"

With those last words, the darklighter straightened his tie and began to black-orb out. And in the instant he began to do so, another cloud of orb lights appeared - white ones.

That coalesced into the form of Leo Wyatt.

The newly-reinstated whitelighter jumped into the orbs of the darklighter, and dragged the kicking and fighting demon back to earth. "Let me go, damn you!" it yelled.

"Not a chance!" Leo said fiercely, as he wrestled the darklighter to the ground.

"Leo!" Piper called out in shock, at seeing him orb in. (Oh my God, he's one of them again?)

Wyatt looked up, to see several people staring down at him. A few with drawn guns. "Are you okay?" he asked Xander.

"Yeah, man, I think so..." his charge answered back, between the two youngest sisters.

Leo nodded, before looking towards Piper with a sad look. "I have to go. Now!" He forcefully orbed the darklighter with him up to the domain of the Elders.

"Now who was that?" Rachel asked, after Leo had left with his prisoner.

"That was the, uh, good guy," Daryl replied, as he holstered his sidearm.

-

**Halliwell Manor.**

**5:00 p.m.**

Cordelia had hung on to Xander tightly the entire time, ever since his almost-suicide. On the roof, during the car ride home, and now as the group came into the house.

She didn't say a word, as she led her boyfriend up to his bedroom.

Piper, Prue, and Daryl just watched them disappear up the stairs, before they left to head over for the talk that everyone knew was coming.

-

**Apartment of Captain Nash Bridges, San Francisco, California.**

**5:30 p.m.**

At the head of the large table in his spacious apartment, Captain Bridges looked at Daryl - after the older two Halliwell sisters had spilled the beans. "Well - your old lieutenant told me that you were covering something up, what with all those unsolved cases. Have to say, though, I never thought it was this..."

Daryl sighed. "Actually - I knew jack about it for a long time, sir."

"Andy was the first one to find out," Prue said sadly.

"Inspector Trudeau?" Nash asked. "He was a good man."

"Yeah," Prue replied. "He and I dated in high school, so he knew me. That's why he was also able to notice the signs that...others might have missed."

"Got that right," Daryl said with a sigh. "Andy was always ready to believe what I didn't even bother trying to."

"I take it then, the official report of his death was faked?" Nash asked, already knowing the answer.

"Oh God, that day!" Piper groaned, while Prue closed her eyes for a moment. "A demon wanted to kill us. Nothing new there, except he had help..." the oldest sister semi-whispered.

"It was a higher-level demon named Tempus," Piper said, taking over for Prue. The younger Halliwell didn't want her older sibling to explain all that to the others, since it brought back so many bad memories. "And he could control time, in a way. The day would reset itself, until the demon - a fake police Inspector - was able to kill us. Each day was like practice, to learn how we fought."

"Like that 'Groundhog Day' movie?" Rachel asked, trying to grasp it.

"Uh-huh," Piper said. "The only way we even knew it was happening at first, was Cordelia. Since she's a seer, she could tell almost right away that the day was repeating. After a few time loops, she could predict what was going to happen - from what our cat did, to a car accident down the block!" She took a sip of her water, before finishing the story. "We found out about Tempus, and used a spell to vanquish him. Unfortunately..."

"Unfortunately," Prue took over suddenly, as she wanted to be the one to say it. "It was too late. I had to make the decision. Either let the day reset itself and therefore save Andy, or destroy Tempus while we had the chance..." She looked right at Captain Bridges. "I just couldn't take the risk. We'd have forgotten everything we'd learned during that go-around, and we all could have died the next time..."

Piper was the only one in the room who knew what her sister was omitting. The little chat Prue thought she'd had with Andy 'upstairs', as she termed it. "He died a hero, trying to save our lives."

"That's too bad," Joe said honestly. "Sounds like he would have made a great addition to the SIU."

"Yeah, he damn well would have," Daryl replied.

"One thing I want to get back to," Antwon said, after a moment had passed. "These vampires. You're sayin' they're all over the place?"

"Well, they've been giving our city a wide berth for a while now," Prue responded.

"Why?" Cassidy asked.

Piper smiled a little. "The word got out. That the Charmed Ones live here, and a vampire Slayer as well - at least, she used to."

"Say, what do these vampires look like?" Harvey asked, interested. "Deformed forehead, yellow eyes, fangs and super-strong?"

"That's right," Prue said, a little surprised at what Harvey seemed to know. "How?"

"Something you want to share, Harv?" Bridges asked him.

The beret-wearing cop nodded. "Bonnie and I were at a Grateful Dead concert in Germany years ago, I got jumped by this mousy-looking guy. Damnest thing I ever saw, but his face changed right in front of me - he also said he was going to eat me..."

"How the hell did you get away?" Daryl asked him. "Xander told me it took him a long time, to be able to go one on one with those things...and survive!"

"Not sure about that part," Harvey admitted. "I was a tad out of it before then, what with the concert and all, but I know I got knocked out for a sec. When I came to this young girl, she looked Spanish, said the guy who'd attacked me ran away."

"She could have been a Slayer," Piper mused. "When Xander's feeling better, we can have him talk to Giles to find out."

Joe shook his head at all this. "You reach an age, where you think you know how the world works..." He looked towards Nash. "What do you think, Bubba?"

Bridges just leaned back. "I think I should have stayed in bed today..." Looking at Prue he said, "Can we do anything to stop these things? After all - they're going after the people we get paid to serve and protect, just like all the other scum out there..."

"Only the vampires. Maybe," the eldest witch admitted. "They have weaknesses you can use against 'em, but you saw how well guns worked against that darklighter."

"So, we consider you guys the department's outside experts?" Joe asked.

"I think that could work," Prue said, as she looked to Piper. "When you guys come across something, give us a call and we can help out-"

"I didn't know we were having so much company over today!" a male voice said from the entrance.

Everyone looked to see the elderly Nick Bridges come into the apartment. "Working on a case?" he asked, at seeing all the SIU cops.

"Ah, Nick..." Nash said to his father, not sure how to handle this.

But Cassidy beat him to it. "Sorry, Grandpa," she said, trying to steer him towards the outside patio and away from the conversation at the table. "But it's kind of-"

"Nick Bridges!"

Nick and everyone else looked at Prue, who was staring at Nick in shock. "Do I know you, young lady?"

Prue stood up from her chair. "It's me, Prue Halliwell. I went through elementary school with Stacy, then you guys moved all the way across town..." She looked at Nash and his daughter. "I didn't know you guys were related to THOSE Bridges!"

Piper looked at her, surprised. "Prue?"

Nick looked at Prue for a long moment, before his eyes went a little wide. "Well, I'll be - little Prudence Halliwell? You're Penny's granddaughter?"

Prue smiled, as she went and hugged him. Piper looked Nick over, and a light clicked on inside her brain. "You were at Grams' funeral, weren't you?"

"Didn't stay long," Nick admitted. He looked between the two sisters. "I hadn't seen Penny in years, after all."

"You knew their grandmother, Grandpa?" Cassidy asked.

"It was a few years after your grandmother died," Nick told his own grandchild. "We knew each other for a bit, before we tried our hand at something more, but Penny wasn't really wanting to settle down again after losing Jack. We just kinda drifted together, long enough to have some laughs..."

With the small wink Nick gave her, Cassidy could instantly guess what her granddad and Penny Halliwell had done when they'd gotten together. (Ack! No! Scary mental place!)

"So how is Stacy, anyway?" Prue asked the eldest Bridges present.

-

**Halliwell Manor.**

**9:27 pm**

Piper and Prue were talking over the events of the day in the sitting room, when they heard the doorbell ring. "I'll get it," the middle sister announced.

"Wait, what if it's Dan?" Prue asked her. "What if he's back from his trip early?"

Piper didn't even flinch at the question. "Well, then I have to tell him the truth. Just because Leo has his wings back, it doesn't change anything."

A moment later in the foyer, Piper opened the door to find the man she loved on the other side. "Leo, you rang the bell?"

"Yeah," the whitelighter said softly. "I wasn't sure how you'd feel about me just orbing in."

As she moved aside to let him in, the witch told her beloved, "I'd feel okay."

Leo waited, till she'd closed the door and faced him again. "Look, I just wanted to let you know that this wasn't their idea. It was mine - and it's-it's not something I wanted to do, it's just-"

Piper stopped him, before he went on any further. "Leo, I meant what I said and I thought about this a lot. Whitelighter or not, we can find a way to make this work. Somehow, some way."

He tried to hide his surprise. "I'm gonna hold you to that."

"You do that," Piper said with a smile, before she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed her man intensely.

A short time later, Cordelia came down the stairs - to find the three people sitting around the metal table in the solarium. "Hey," she said lightly, as the woman grabbed an empty chair.

"How's he doing?" Prue asked, concerned.

"Xander's sleeping now, thank God," Cordy told them somberly. "But he's seriously screwed up. That THING twisted around everything he believed in, just about, to get him to jump. I'm sure it's gonna take a while before he's willing to talk about the details; for a time there, I think Xander thought I wasn't coming back when I just went to go to the bathroom!"

"Everyone has feelings of not being wanted, or not fitting in sometimes," Leo said. "We'll just have to be there for him for a few days, to undo all the stuff that was put into his head."

"Of course we will," Prue said certainly. "He's family, after all."

Cordelia let a small smile show on her face. "Yeah, that he is. Even if I'm not married to him yet!"

"You know..." Piper said, as she got up. She went over to the coffee table, and picked through the mail. "We got this in the mail yesterday." She handed the flyer to Prue. "It's been a long time since we did one, so what do you say?"

"Did one what?" Cordelia asked. Prue handed her the flyer. "Family portraits, 25 off?" the youngest Halliwell exclaimed.

Piper said, sitting back down, "What better way is there to let Xander know he's a member of the family, than by having him in the Halliwell family album?"

Cordy looked between the couple at the table. "I take it he won't be the only male in the photo?"

"Got that right!" Piper said, as she leaned her head on Leo's shoulder. "Wings or not, we'll work it out."

Now knowing that Leo getting his whitelighter groove back wasn't a sore spot, Cordy asked, "What about the darklighter? If the Elders need someone to take him out..."

"It's been taken care of," Leo told her. "They tried to find out why it went after Xander, or even how it knew about him. But the darklighter didn't give anything up, before they finally vanquished him."

Piper noticed he was holding something back. "Leo? Is there something else?"

The whitelighter nodded. "It's just - I was there at the time, and I felt like...like he was hiding something. On account of a darklighter simply wouldn't keep quiet like that, unless he was more afraid of what would happen to him if he DID talk. I have no proof, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone else had set all this up - behind the scenes, so to speak..."

Cordelia let out a big sigh. "If that's true, then it's just someone else we'll have to vanquish later on, when we finally locate his ass."

-

**Main Street, Sunnydale, California.**

**February, 2001**

"Oh my God!" Willow screeched. "Buffy, why did you buy that!"

"Why do you ask?" Buffy asked, as she held up the unzipped garment bag. "Do you think it would make me look fat? Because I can't have that!"

Willow and Tara just looked at each other, not really knowing what to say. "That...that's just not a normal outfit for you to buy..." the redhead stammered.

"Oh! Well, it was a request," Buffy answered.

"A half-naked French maid outfit was a request!" Willow yelled, causing a group of guys on the street to look at them.

Not liking the stares, Willow took Buffy's arm and dragged the blonde to a nearby alley. "Buffy, do you have a boyfriend?" Willow asked, hurt that she didn't know what was going on. Because the man called Riley Finn...was now history.

But Buffy didn't answer her question - she just suddenly exclaimed, "Oh no, it's that late?" She quickly zipped up the bag. "Sorry Willow, but I have to go. I can't keep my man waiting!"

"Buffy!" Willow yelled, as the Slayer vanished down the street and around the corner. "Buffy! Come back!"

"Geez, Willow..."

Both the blonde and redheaded witch spun to see the one and only Buffy Summers standing behind them.

"Buffy!" Willow exclaimed, surprised. "How did you change clothes so fast?" For the Slayer now had on a pair of jeans and a sweater.

"And did you drop your bag?" Tara asked, not seeing the garment bag.

"Ah, no..." Buffy said, as she held up her fast food bag. "What's going on?"

"You tell us!" Willow told her hotly. "How did you change clothes so fast, and-and why didn't you tell me you have a new boyfriend?"

Buffy looked at her best friend in total confusion. "I was a little chilly, so I put my sweater back on before I went to get lunch. And unless I totally missed something, I didn't pick up a date with the Subway Sandwich Artist that made my meatball sub!"

"Buffy?" Willow said, not understanding. "I meant the guy you bought that very 'adult' French maid outfit for!"

"What?" Buffy demanded, as her eyes went wide.

Tara's head perked up. "Ah, Willow?"

"Yeah, sweetie?" Willow asked her girlfriend.

"How did the other Buffy suddenly know what time it was?" Tara asked, as she looked around the area. "She didn't look at her watch, and there are no clocks around that I can see..."

-

**Spike's crypt.**

**A short time later**

The Buffybot adjusted her cleavage in her new uniform; her internal clock told her that it was now time to begin today's program. She put the mug of blood on the tray, and then walked on her high heels to the other side of the chamber.

"Hello, maid," the male vamp present told her with laugh, as she came close to him.

"And a big hello to you as well, Lord Spike," the Buffybot said, as she set down the tray and handed the mug to the undead guy. "Shall I begin my duties, sir?"

"Yeah, reckon you should at that," the British vampire ordered with a sip of blood.

As demanded by the program, the Buffybot giggled before she turned and started to dust the crypt. "Oh my!" she said. "Just look how dirty this is..."

"Very dirty," Spike said as he watched the maid's outfit expose the Buffybot's rear end, as it bent down to clean the low shelf.

A short while later, Spike got tired of the voyeurism and decided to spice things up a little. "Oy, maid. Leave it alone, luv; place looks clean enough now!"

The Buffybot straightened up. "Shall I rerun this program for you?"

Spike frowned, "Told ya before, pet; don't use talk like that. Either be a maid, or be Buffy!"

The Buffybot nodded. "I understand. That's why I, I wanna hurt you, stake you even, but I can't resist the sinister attraction of your cold and muscular body."

Spike grinned again; this was more like it. "Want to have at me, ducks? Give it your best shot, then..."

The robot created in Buffy Summers' image picked up a stake, and rushed William the Bloody; but he easily avoided it, as the machine had been programmed not to really try and kill him.

"You still can't do it, can ya luv?"

"No," the Buffybot panted, simulating sexual tension as Spike grabbed it in his arms. "I'm helpless before you, you fiend!"

The vampire instantly tore off the maid's outfit with a huge smirk, and threw the nude Buffybot onto his bed. They then kissed hard, as Spike briefly whispered, "Oh, Buffy..."

A short while later, the Buffybot's screams could be heard in the crypt above the squeaks of the bedsprings. "Oh, Spike! You're evil, but I can't help myself. I love you! I LOVE you! Ah! Ah! AHH! You're the big bad! Oh my God, Spike - you're the BIG BAD!"

-

**Apartment B, 523 Oak Park Street, Sunnydale, California.**

**The next day**

"I'll get it!" Willow Rosenberg called out, as she came out of the tiny kitchen belonging to the apartment of Rupert Giles.

The redheaded young witch had her mind on other things, when she opened the door.

And as such, she didn't see the fist heading directly towards her face till it was WAY too late.

"Willow!" Buffy Summers yelled, as she jumped off the couch. The Slayer jumped right in between her knocked-down friend, and... "Cordelia?"

Cordelia Halliwell and another man Buffy didn't recognize walked right into the condo. "Useless skanky 'ho? You actually called me that, two years ago?" the former Sunnydale snob yelled at Willow, as the redhead wiped away a small amount of blood coming from her nose.

"What the hell are you doing here!" Buffy demanded, not letting Cordy get any closer to Willow. "And this had better be good-"

Cordelia turned her fury-filled eyes to the blonde. "Do you two have any idea, what your bitching at Xander did back then? A damn darklighter nearly got him dead, because of all your 'he's just dead weight' issues. Not to mention all that crap that Xander only exists to screw your brains out, Summers!"

Buffy and Willow quickly exchanged glances, as long-buried memories of that conversation surfaced. "Ah, Cordelia?" Giles said stepping up. "What happened in San Francisco?"

"A darklighter attacked Xander recently," Leo answered for his charge. "He nearly killed himself, because of that."

"My word!" Giles exclaimed.

"A Spirit Killer?" Jesse asked, as he stepped around the couch. Leo just nodded. "Son of a bitch!"

"What's a Spirit Killer?" Buffy demanded at once.

"It's a darklighter, one of the nastier kinds out there," Jesse told her. "It can twist a person's emotions or memories around, to try to get them to commit suicide."

"And how..." Willow asked, upset. "How, exactly, does that justify trying to beat me up?"

"Real simple," Cordelia responded. "Both you and Buffy treating him like he was a retard after high school was over, was exactly what that damn darklighter needed - to get my boyfriend to off himself!" She looked at both the blonde and redhead. "Look, to tell you the truth, I don't give a crap what you think about me. But if either of you lay that shit on Xander again...I will hurt you both. And that's a promise!"

"First of all, Cordelia?" Buffy said with her arms crossed. "What we told Xander then, it was for his own good. He was never the best fighter around, and hell - he proved that, what with his lie about Angel! Now, what the hell was Xander doing where a demon could attack him?" She looked to the brunette woman harshly. "And why did YOU let it attack him? You super-witches or whatever should have protected him!"

"Why, you bottle-blonde little..." Cordelia said, as her right hand caught on fire in her sudden rage.

Leo quickly placed a hand on her shoulder. "Cordelia?"

"Huh?" the Charmed One snapped out of her anger, to see everyone staring at her with slack jaws. "Oh! Sorry..." Without knowing how for sure, the brunette willed the fire away. "Not that it's not tempting..."

After what she had just seen, Buffy was now firmly in a Slayer attack stance. She put a finger to the other girl's chest and snapped, "I don't know what the hell that was, Cordy, but you better not-"

Ms. Summers had been going to say more, but Cordelia gasped. "What?" the Chosen One asked at once, understanding that something weird had happened.

Leo quickly got in between the Slayer and his witch. "Cordelia, what did you see?"

Cordy looked beyond him to Buffy. "You know some doctor guy, named Ben?"

Buffy looked at the brunette with surprise. "What does that have to do with...?"

"I know you do!" Cordelia said firmly. "I just saw you talking to him, in my premonition!"

"Yes, uh, I do believe that I've heard of this Ben chap," Giles said. "But why would you get a premonition about him?"

"Just - don't trust him," Cordy told the Watcher. "Because I also saw how he turns into this blonde chick, one who looks like a supermodel - and puts her fingers inside some woman's head!"

"Okay..." Buffy said patronizingly, thinking Cordelia had lost it - then Glory's cloaking magic went into effect.

Leo simply thought that they should leave now, given how the warning had been delivered. "Cordy, we still have the other thing you wanted to do?"

"Oh, right," Cordy said, as she turned to Jesse. "You can heal her nose?"

"Yeah, I guess," the teen whitelighter said, as he placed his hand over Willow's bleeding face. "There, good as new."

Leo took Cordelia's hand, and orbed her away. When they had vanished, the group sat back down in the living room.

Just as Tara came back from the bathroom - Willow said in an upset tone of voice, "She should have protected Xander better, not hit me!"

Jesse just sighed. He had long ago decided not to pick a side in THAT argument. "So, what are we going to do about Cordy's premonition?"

"Her what?" Buffy asked, not understanding.

"The premonition she got when you touched her," Jesse said. "Because I'm assuming the blonde woman is Glory..."

"What are you talking about, Jesse?" Tara asked her whitelighter. "What blonde woman?"

"Well, Cordelia just said..." Jesse's eyes then went wide, as he looked at the others - who obviously didn't have a clue what he was going on about. "She just said for us not to trust Ben. That he turns into a blonde woman! Glory, most likely. Was I the only one to hear that, before they orbed?"

"What about Ben?" Buffy asked, confused.

"Yeah..." Willow and Tara didn't get it either, as they spoke in unison.

Jesse looked around and groaned in disbelief, as even Giles looked clueless - before retiring to the whitelighter realm up above.

-

**White Oak Drive, Sunnydale, California.**

**The same time**

Cordelia finished saying her little spelloutside the Harris house, then turned to Leo. "Okay, that's it."

"I'm not so sure about this, Cordy," the whitelighter said honestly. "Magic can't be used to just cure an addiction like that, you know..."

"Oh, that's not why I'm doing it. Besides, they'll still go through the withdrawal pains, so it's not a free lunch in any sense of the word," the witch answered back. "Now let's go home. I want to see how Xander's doing!"

-

**The Harris household, 17619 White Oak Drive, Sunnydale.**

**A few hours later**

Anthony Harris woke up with a pounding headache, from his spot on the couch. And Jerry Springer was playing on the TV, as the middle-aged man slowly got up and headed for the fridge.

Things around here had deteriorated a lot, ever since Xander had moved out. There was no longer any need to keep up pretenses, so Harris and his wife just did what they wanted - and to hell with what the neighbors thought.

In fact, he was so drunk these days that Anthony at times forgot that he even HAD a son...

He just grabbed the nearest can of beer, and took a big swig from it.

And promptly spit it back out.

"What the hell!" He grabbed an empty glass left on the counter from the night before, and poured the liquid into it. "Water?" the man raged.

An hour later, Jessica Harris awoke with a slightly less major hangover than her husband had had. When she reached the kitchen herself, she jumped. "Tony?"

Two dozen empty beer cans and several bottles of alcohol were lying next to Anthony Harris, on the floor. "They all turn to water!" he shouted.

"Tony, what are you...?" she tried to say, before he cut her off. Harris pointed to the last bottle of vodka on top of the fridge, "You do it!"

"Do what?" Jessica demanded.

"Pour me a drink!" Anthony ordered, handing her a glass.

"Fine!" she bitched back at him, as the dark-haired woman took the bottle and poured herself a shot.

"Now drink it!" he yelled at her.

With a nasty look towards the idiot who'd gotten her knocked up two decades ago, Jessica sipped the glass. "It's water?" Jessica looked over towards her deadbeat husband. "Tony, what did you do?"

"I don't know!" Harris yelled. "I could SEE the Scotch in the bottle, but when I touched it...it turned to water!" He waved a hand over the pile of empty bottles and cans. "They ALL turned to water!"

-

**SIU HQ, San Francisco, California.**

**Tuesday, February 13th 2001**

**1:30 p.m.**

"You sure you don't want to?" the woman asked him. "Because I know you'd love Texas, Nash..."

Captain Bridges looked at his soon-to-be third ex-wife. "Tamara. Why are you even bothering?" he asked, as the policeman looked out at the bay. "It's all over. Junior is behind bars, and your gangster friend has left the city. You don't need me anymore."

"Well - we are married, Nash," Tamara replied.

"Expect for that little matter of us never going through with the ceremony?" Bridges asked, amused. "You just forged my signature. And you did it so that you'd have the protection of your old cop boyfriend..."

"Whatever the reason was, Nash, you know I wouldn't mind having you with me..." She grinned at him. "For heaven's sake, you could have it all. A very young hot wife, and more money than God!"

"Tamara," Nash said with a sigh and a headache. "You know as well as I do - that we're good only in small doses."

The blonde woman gave up, as she knew he wasn't going to yield. "Well, at least keep the second car!"

"Second car?" Nash asked her with a raised eyebrow. "You got two kit cars?"

"No," Tamara told him. "I'll admit the first one was a kit car..."

"The one that Junior tried to car-bomb me in?"

"Yes," she replied. "But during all this, my contact in LA got me a real 70's Cuda. It was part of some guy's private collection. I'd say it's in almost as good a condition as yours!" Leaning in to show some cleavage Tamara added, "I already had it painted yellow...you could have a matched set?"

"No," Nash said firmly.

"Fine!" Tamara grumbled. "You can give it to Cassidy, then."

"She already has a car."

"Well - what do you want me to do, Nash?" Tamara threw up her hands. "Drive it back to Texas? There must be someone you know who needs a car!"

-

**Halliwell Manor.**

**6:29 pm**

Xander loosened the collar of the Armani suit Cordelia had stuck him into, for their date tonight. (Damn, why can't I get her to ever accept the clothing wonder that is the Hawaiian shirt...)

During the last few weeks, everyone had gone out of their way to make him feel like he belonged again. It was slow going, after all - Harris couldn't have an instant fix like Prue's good luck spell had given Maggie, as he and magic were on really bad terms.

"We got the family photo! At last!" the oldest Halliwell exclaimed, as she came into the room.

"You really think the background worked?" Xander asked Prue, as they sat around looking at it in the sitting room. "See, I've never been a fan of them themed photos. My cousin's family a couple years back had them done all in denim, and..."

"We all looked great," Cordelia said, wearing a light blue casual dress. "The guys there loved us, they even said we looked great!"

"One, they don't get paid if they say they hate it," Xander told her. "And two, most of 'em were too busy staring at your legs to pay any attention to the rest of the photo."

"It's not MY fault that I have great legs!" Cordy told her boyfriend. "Besides, only one guy gets to do more than look..." She gave him a small kiss. "And that's you."

"Really?" Xander teased her, as they kissed again.

Just today, they had been getting back into their whole couple stuff. She had been sleeping with him, yes, but nothing sexual had been going on. They'd just talked.

Everyone looked up, as the doorbell rang. As Prue went for the door, Cordelia called after her. "If that's a demon, tell it to come back tomorrow!" She kissed Xander again, long, slow and lovingly. "I'm busy today..."

Prue laughed, as she opened the door. She was then slightly surprised to see the 30-ish, tall blonde woman who was showing an awful lot of cleavage. "Can I help you?" she asked, as Prue saw the white limo parked down on the street.

"Does Xander Harris live here?"

"Ah, do I know you?" Xander asked, as he and Cordelia came over after hearing his name.

Cordelia instantly didn't like Tamara, after seeing the woman's Playboy-esque body. She looped her arm with Xander and took his hand in hers, "Who the heck are you?"

Tamara laughed a tiny bit at the younger girl's actions. She liked it when the girlfriends of guys got nervous whenever she was around. "You are Xander Harris, right? Daryl's friend?"

"Yeah..." Xander said, briefly wondering if Morris had gone nuts - and sent him a stripper, to get over his blues...

The woman nearly extended her finger and motioned him to follow her, as she went down the steps.

(Oh...please let her be a demon!) Cordelia thought vengefully, as she saw Xander trying very hard not to look at the blonde woman's rear end. "What are you...?"

They reached the street, to see what was parked behind the limo.

The other 1970 Hemi Cuda, freshly repainted once again. This time instead of the yellow 'lemon twist' color that was Nash's trademark, another original color adorned the car's exterior. A light red named 'Vitamin C'. The white leather interior had been kept the same, though.

"Whoa!" Xander exclaimed, as he saw it. "This is the same model as..."

"As Nash's car," Tamara finished for him. "I'm Tamara Van Zant," she said, as she extended a hand to Xander. He quickly shook it.

"Van Zant?" Prue asked surprised. "The old girlfriend of Captain Bridges?" Cordelia and Xander looked at her questioningly. "Remember, Daryl said that she came in the other day - saying that she was married to him?"

Tamara sighed. "One day, I WILL get Nash off of that low-pay civil service job! The guy didn't want my little gift here, and I don't want to have to drive it or ship it back to Texas - so I asked if he knew anyone who needed a car."

Xander was shocked, as she looked at him. "It's...it's a damn good car. But Miss Van Zant - I couldn't even afford half of what this costs, at the moment. Not to mention repair work and insurance..."

"Not a problem!" Tamara told him.

"It's not?" Harris asked her, not getting it.

"Look, kid," Tamara said, leaning on the car. "I bought it for Nash. But he doesn't want it, and I don't need it. My late husband had a fleet of cars down at our place. And he was, just as now I am, the majority shareholder of 'Autoworks of America'..."

A smile. "It's the biggest repair chain in the country! Four of which are in this very city, so repair costs won't ever be an issue after I make one phone call. As for the insurance...as I said, my old hubby had a fleet in his garage. So the insurance people will literally bend over backwards to keep me happy. It won't be hard at all to get you full coverage on this bad boy for...oh, as long as the company stays in business..."

Amused at his shell-shocked look, Tamara leaned in towards Xander - and getting a rise out of the girlfriend. "Now tell me, sugar..." She took out the pink slip from her fur coat pocket. "Would five dollars sound fair, for me to sell you this car?"

"All that for five dollars!" Xander looked at her, 100 amazed.

"My late husband was big on charity," Tamara said. "Well...limited-time offer though, so what do you say?"

Xander had never gotten his wallet out so fast in his entire life.

-

**Cole Turner's apartment, San Francisco, California.**

**Wednesday, February 14th 2001**

**2:00 pm**

Cole Turner sat in the darkened living room. It was St. Valentine's today, but that meant nothing to this particular half-demon - apart from being able to use it, to take the afternoon off from work.

An 8 x 10 image of Xander Harris stared at him from the table. And in Cole's mind, the stilled image seemed to mock him - making his inner Belthazor scream for the mortal's blood more loudly than ever.

"There has got to be a way to kill you. One that doesn't interfere with my long-term plans! And I WILL find it..."

-

**Halliwell Manor Kitchen.**

**3:45 pm**

Piper and Leo came in via the back door, with bags of groceries. And they had a big date on for tonight, as it would be their first Valentine's Day together.

"Xander and Cordelia aren't back yet?" Piper asked her sister, who was reading the paper at the table. She was hoping to talk to the young man...

On account of since Leo was no longer available to serve as a bartender at P3, Harris had stepped up to take over the job - as a way of dealing with his troubles, and to make some money while he was at it. The middle sister thus wanted to talk business with her employee.

"Nope," Prue said with a grin. "And I don't think we'll see them either, least not for a while yet."

"Why?" Leo asked her. "They just went for a drive, right?"

"Well, yes," Prue admitted. "But just after you two left, Cordy wanted to know where a good spot was."

"Good spot for what?" Leo asked clueless.

"What did you tell her?" Piper demanded, smelling something fishy.

Prue couldn't help but grin. "I told her how to get to Miller's Bluff."

Piper's eyes went wide. "As in THE Miller's Bluff!"

"Yeah," Prue said with a smirk. "Xander did just get that great new car, so what the hell - they might as well...break it in. I told her about that secluded spot where...ah, you remember why it's so infamous?"

"Oh my God!" Piper shook her head. "We won't see those two again, for a looong time!"

"I know I've been out of the game for a few decades, but..." Leo started.

"Back in high school, if you ever parked at Miller's Bluff - you didn't ever leave there a virgin," Piper told him with a laugh.

"Oh..." the whitelighter exclaimed.

-

**Miller's Bluff, California. Six miles outside San Francisco.**

**A short while later**

"Ohhhh..."

As Xander broke the kiss, he unsnapped Cordelia's bra with one hand. (God, am I ever glad I got this car!)

The automobile's top was down, and as the bra was tossed into the front seat - the now-topless Cordelia helped Xander remove his shirt. Then she leaned back in the seat, and pulled her boyfriend into a passionate kiss on top of her.

In the middle of their making out, Xander was shocked to feel Cordelia's hands start to unbuckle his belt, and then both his pants and boxers came sliding down...

(Make that VERY glad!) And soon enough, both Xander and Cordelia were as naked as the day they were born.

They kissed again, and at long last there were no more doubts. No more confusion. No more pain, from past mistakes.

There was only love, desire, and the ancient rhythm as old as Gaia herself...

As with every couple in the Halliwell family line, from the past and on into the future, the two people making love in the back seat of the classic car would face countless things trying to break them up and or kill them. But just like every couple they would weather the coming storm of the future together.

**To Be Continued...**


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes: **This is mainly a filler chapter, but I introduce a few new things. Namely, a crossover with Nightman, as well as a crossover with Sweet Valley University. Also some spoilers of Charmed's later seasons are here as well. And the WWF & E3 Convention stuff is AU since I changed dates and locals.

**Chapter Seven**

**Cordelia Halliwell's bedroom, San Francisco, California.**

**Friday, April 20th 2001**

**7:29 a.m.**

The bedroom was slightly darkened by the closed drapes of the windows, as the young couple slept. While Xander Harris was fast asleep in a T-shirt and boxers, Cordelia Halliwell only had on a pair of pajama bottoms.

She was pressed up against her boyfriend without a top on like this, for two reasons. One, she had spilled grapefruit juice all over her PJs last night, just before going to bed. Two, the young witch had thought it would be fun to tease Xander mercilessly - because they had to get some sleep, and thus they'd had no time for any of the constant hanky-panky that had been going on...ever since they had gotten back together back in February.

'Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep!'

Cordelia rolled over, and slammed her hand on the top of her alarm clock. Then shaking her better half awake she told him, "Xander, it's seven-thirty. We have to get up!"

But Xander's response was to roll over in bed, and instantly capture her lips with his - as Cordy half-heartedly struggled to push him away.

The thing was, ever since their first time in Xander's new car a few months back...Harris had become - well, 'insatiable' was definitely one way to put it. In fact, his sexual appetite was now reminiscent of a monogamous Casanova...

Cordelia had loved every minute of it, granted; her soul mate had learned skill and technique enough to be considered a Viking in the sack, and pleasure her out of her mind almost every night. But this morning there was no time for a quickie, as they had to get on the road.

"Xander! Will you stop thinking, with your you-know-what?" Cordelia demanded just before the point of no return, as she finally pushed the young man off of on top of her.

"Mmmm…fine," Xander sleepily mumbled, as he got up and left to go to the bathroom.

After he left, Cordelia stood in front of her bed and stretched to begin her daily morning routine. (Huh...is this how normal married people feel, or what?)

It was a question that had been occurring more and more to the young woman, as of late. She was occasionally getting flashes of what spending the rest of her life with Harris might be like. But Cordy still didn't have an answer, as both her adopted parents and Xander's biological ones were as much a good role model for that sort of thing...as, say, Homer and Marge Simpson were.

Banishing such thoughts, the now green belt Tae Kwon Do student closed her eyes, and began the Yul-Gok pattern. She was in the middle of step 23, when she heard a male voice snicker.

She stopped and turned around. "Xand…oh, you son of a bitch!"

The human-looking but nonetheless yellow-eyed demon appeared to enjoy the show, as the witch grabbed a blanket off the bed to cover herself. "Wasn't expecting this, but hey! I'm up for it if you are," he said with a leer.

"Sorry, wrong species asshole!" Cordelia yelled at him. "Haven't you idiots learned by now not to attack here?"

The demon grinned. "I like challenges."

"Really. You know what I like?" Cordelia asked, her features set and drawn.

"No," the demon responded, his mind still in the gutter. "Why don't you tell me?"

"Killing you!" Cordelia said, very pissed, as she dropped the blanket and let fly with fire from her hand.

The demon recoiled in surprised shock, as the flames engulfed him. "NO!" was all he got out before the hellish creature was vanquished.

Cordelia marched over to the spot where he'd been and growled, "Damn peeping tom demons!"

-----

An hour later, Cordelia and Xander were dressed and downstairs. Cordy was in tan trousers with a flower print tank top, and Xander in jeans and a T-shirt with a rusted Transformers Autobot symbol in the center. He was putting his dishes in the dishwasher, while Cordelia talked to her older sister.

"…and then he just leered at me like I was some, I don't know, stripper!" Cordelia grumbled. "I know some demons are still dumb enough to come at us here, but they can't wait till I at least have a top on?"

"At least this one didn't come out of the TV," Prue commented, equally annoyed that her family's home had again been invaded for the billionth time.

Xander was about to make a comment, when a loud "Oh, come on!" was heard.

All three ran out wondering if a new demon had shown up, when they saw Leo and Piper on the couch in the parlor. Piper was laughing as she looked up at the three newcomers, "Leo keeps dying on the first level here!"

The whitelighter dropped the X-Box controller in his lap, as he leaned back. "Why can't there just be a simple jump button?" he asked them in confusion. "I mean, who can remember all this abxy stuff?"

"You got me killed?" Cordelia asked amused, as she looked at the screen. And sure enough the video game image of her, or rather Lady Sophia Croft, was lying dead with the words 'Game Over' flashing. "And on the first level? Gee, Leo, I got past that even on my first try," the youngest Halliwell teased.

"Don't be too hard on him, sister dear," Piper told her sister. "That's my job."

"Funny," Leo said, very unamused. "You know - when I was growing up, we actually did this weird thing called going outside to play?"

"You obviously never grew up on a Hellmouth," Xander said somberly, lost in the memories as everyone briefly stared at him.

---

**Calax Research and Development, Sunnydale, California.**

**A few hours later**

Anya adjusted her costume, while waiting for her boyfriend to finish getting changed.

Jonathan Levinson was in fact progressing well in his training, in her estimation. At first, when the former demon had come back to Sunnydale for Xander Harris, she'd been willing to try for a normal boyfriend & girlfriend relationship. The ex-demon had thought for sure that a male with his sort of pleasing shape would feel the same way, after all.

However, the stupid heartbroken girl who'd summoned her in the first place had resumed her claim on the big lug, and Anya had heard by now that they had returned to full relationship status.

Well, whatever. It was none of her business now; that ship had obviously sailed.

In this world, then, Anya had decided to not bother with a normal relationship as the mortals knew it. After all, she had tried that when she'd been human 1100 years ago…and Olaf, may the big troll remain forever cursed, had cheated on her with that damned barmaid...

So she had taken a relatively small man (in every sense of the word) and begun to adjust him to her liking. Granted, Anya knew full well what limited faithfulness the human male was capable of. So instead of being in an equal relationship with her boyfriend, she had assumed the role of wearing the pants in it right from the start, and warned Jonathan that if he didn't like it - he could walk any time.

Yeah, right. Both Anya and Jonathan knew the cold hard facts here. And that was, as if the nerd was ever going to score with anyone but her...

So Jonathan Levinson was Anya's now, in more ways than one. She had invested long hours in readjusting his clothing, and other aspects of his life. But she hadn't screwed it up like most human females do, when retraining a male. Because Anya Jenkins hadn't taken away everything he'd liked and was passionate about. No, she'd just taken some of it away and enjoyed some stuff with him.

Anya had also seen to it Jonathan's computer skills, along with his budding magic talents, remained constantly on the improve. Granted the dot com bubble had burst YEARS ago, and his spellcasting was limited at the moment to various glamours with the occasional time freeze, but it never hurt to keep one's options open.

And as for his sexual training, well - nowadays Jonathan was up for anything Anya demanded. Anything she wanted to try, he was more than willing to attempt. Lights on or off, kinks or vanilla; it made no difference.

The young-looking woman had won her bet with Halfrek, about how fast she could gain complete control of her little man. And winning that bet was why they were here today. Anya had planned this for a week. Gotten all the right things that would be needed, even a wishing stone that worked for 72 hours - before everything would revert back to what it was.

And while everyone else was busy with other things like Joyce's new boyfriend and finding out whatever they could about Glory, this weekend was a perfect chance to escape life's monotony for them.

The door opened, and her guy walked out in his costume. "Do I look okay?"

"Just perfect, Jon," Anya told him, as she looked over his black boots and pants and gold wraparound V-neck shirt. "How about me?"

She twirled to give him a full view. For Anya Jenkins was decked out in a red low-neck line top with a very short matching red skirt, with black go-go boots on.

Gene Roddenberry would have been proud to have had her guest star in the Original Series, no doubt about it.

"You look amazing," Levinson responded in sheer wonder, as he lived out a geek's dream at that moment.

"Okay, now remember Jon," Anya said, after giving him a smiling peck on the cheek. "Once we start, we do NOT break character. I planned all this, so just go with it. Right?"

"Right," the young man said in understanding, as Anya picked up a device and put its leather strap over her head. And so it began...

Jonathan took a device off his belt and flipped it open. "Levinson to Farragut. Lieutenant Jenkins and I have beamed down to the coordinates, and will begin the search. Levinson out." He put the communicator back on his belt. "Lieutenant?" he asked her. "Are you picking up anything?"

"One moment, Captain," Anya responded, as she held up her large tricorder. "I'm showing life signs on the opposite side of the building, and up one floor."

"Friend or foe?" Jonathan asked.

"Unknown," she replied, adjusting the knobs. "I can not get a clear reading."

"Alright, we'll go introduce ourselves," Jonathan said, as he removed another item from his belt. "Phasers on stun, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir," Anya responded, as she brought up her phaser.

"Inform me if you detect any Klingon life signs," Jonathan ordered, as he started along the corridor lit only by emergency lights. "They were crawling all over this star system, less than a month ago."

"Aye, sir." Anya took a moment to grin as her man walked away, his butt definitely showing in the tight uniform.

(Just wait till he sees those three green-skinned Orion slave girls!) Ms. Jenkins briefly thought in glee, before she ran to catch up.

---

**The roof of Stevenson Hall, UC Sunnydale, Sunnydale.**

**A few hours later**

Tara Maclay leaned back, as she let the wind go through her hair. Her whitelighter, and more importantly friend, Jesse had orbed them up here to try to relax.

It had been a tense time for the group, during the last six months. Jesse had healed Joyce's illness as soon as it had become a threat to the good woman, but not before she had seen a doctor. And because said doctor was at a loss as to how her possible tumor had just vanished…she was constantly undergoing a battery of tests.

Well, how DO you tell a well-meaning M.D. that an angel had healed his patient?

On top of that, Tara's father had come and tried to force her to go home with him a while back. And when she'd said no, he hadn't taken kindly to it. It was a rare feat to see Tara upset, even yelling at her old man. For she had found out some time before, that the thing she had been taught all her life was a lie.

Tara had been unsure about becoming more powerful in the magic arts, and finally told Jesse why. She was afraid that the demon in her would take over. Granted after leaving home for the same college her mother had attended, Ms. Maclay had begun to doubt the entire demon story. However, the chance that she could lose control and become evil terrified her.

Jesse had told the blonde that he had been briefed on her status before he was assigned, and there had been no mention of Tara being part demon. He wasn't allowed to work with demons, anyway. But just to reassure her, the young man had gone up to ask the Elders to sort it all out.

As it turned out, they didn't know anything about it either, but told Jesse they could detect no demon blood in his charge. Thus, since it was a family legend, the whitelighter had then decided to go straight to the source.

Tara's deceased mother.

What he had found out was shocking, and as such the guardian angel knew Tara would never believe it if he just told her. So with the help of the Elders, Tara had been reunited with the shades of her mother and grandmother, and learned the truth - the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

The entire 'demon' myth had been started back in the 1700s, when a daughter had wanted to marry a young man that her parents disapproved of. Human nature being what it is, the parents had tricked the would-be groom by making him believe that his potential bride was touched by the Devil. And somehow, it later grew into the story of all women in the family being demons.

The story had been feared by some, and scoffed at by others. Some male members of the family let the future husbands in on the scam, and a few went along with it; while others told their new wives the truth. And because of that, several daughters of the family had left the unhappy tribe and never looked back.

One of them was Tara's aunt, which she'd never even known she had. The woman was now happily married, and living the ordinary 'soccer mom' life with three kids. Plans were already underway for Tara to visit her unknown cousins, during the summer break.

Mr. Maclay had tried to deny it, but a surprise visit by his late wife - along with Tara's cousin Beth's deceased older sister - had totally taken the wind out of his sails. And the look the ghosts had sent him had been enough to make Daddy Maclay shut up, if he knew what was good for him.

Well, Tara's brother Donny HAD reacted violently when he'd heard his mother say she was ashamed of him, for knowing since he was 15 that the demon stuff was only talk; in fact Buffy had had to knock him out afterwards, to stop his rants. Also, the Scoobies had learned that cousin Beth had left the family shortly afterwards, but that was neither here nor there as far as they were concerned.

So now with her emotions in such a high state, Tara's powers had become so messed up that Jesse had brought her up here to meditate. But she was not finding it easy.

"I can't, Jesse, I'm sorry," the 20-year-old woman told him.

"I know it's hard, Tara," Jesse responded from his spot on the ledge. "But times like these are a very good opportunity to practice focusing. If you can control your emotions during a situation like this, then you can handle anything."

Tara looked up at him. "It's not just my family situation what's wrong, though."

"Then what is it?" Jesse asked her, concerned.

"Willow," was the blonde's quiet reply.

"Ah," Jesse said simply. (Guess I knew it would all come around to her, eventually.)

"I, I think she's jealous. Of my relationship with you, at least. She tries not to be, but..." Tara broke off, then resumed. "With you and the Elders helping me, and now that I have my family's old Book of Shadows…I think she's feeling left behind." She looked at him sadly. "And I don't know how far she'll go to catch up."

Jesse understood. Willow not being the Hellmouth witch assigned a whitelighter had been a sore spot, ever since he had come here. "Her potential is incredibly great, though. She just has to accept that she needs to practice harder than you now. As for the whitelighter stuff - Tara, you're a natural-born witch, she isn't. Magic has been in your family for many generations, almost as long as the Halliwell line. The Rosenberg line begins with her. You know what that means."

Tara nodded. "I just don't know if I can keep her from going too far. It's like, like Willow feels she has to prove to everyone that she's worthy of being called a witch..." She looked down. "I don't even know how to tell her about my new power of deflection."

---

**Outside seating of a McDonald's restaurant, Lakeview, California.**

**12:30 p.m.**

"God, it feels good to stretch a little!" Cordy said, as she did just that. "You are SO giving me a back massage when we get to the hotel, mister!"

Xander tried to talk, while eating some of his quarter-pounder. "Will do, sweetheart."

The youngest of the Charmed Ones laughed at his eagerness to her suggestion. Harris had no trouble ever giving her back massages, mostly because Cordelia was topless when he did it. No WAY was she going to get any massage oils on her clothes, given her budget nowadays. "Xander, honey?"

"Yeah?" the guy asked, as she took a sip of his drink.

"I've talked to Kennedy. And, uh...Faith will be joining us tonight."

Xander's face instantly showed the expected frown at that news. Cordy went on, "Now I know that you... WE both have feelings about her. But I told Kennedy we would set them aside for this, okay?"

"I get why Kennedy has to play nice with her," Xander said shortly, his statement not indicating acquiescence at all. "I mean, Faith's her tag team Slayage partner and all, but why does she have to come with when we go out?"

"Because…" Cordy started, then stopped. "Kennedy wants to bring her girlfriend along, to formally meet us."

Xander's eyes went huge. "Kennedy and Faith are dating? But we - Faith and I - I mean, everyone knows she was my first! Did I drive her to join the other team, or what? I mean, uh - when, when the hell did all this happen?"

"A month or so ago," Cordy told him, ignoring the historical rant and the sexual hangup. "And she didn't tell you in her emails, because Kennedy knows perfectly well that you'd rather throw Faith off a bridge than even look at her."

"And you wouldn't?" the former Zeppo demanded. "Cordy, this isn't...come on. I can not just let Kennedy date Faith!"

"Xander, it's not up to you," she responded. And for an instant, Harris had a flashback to junior year when Buffy had told him the exact same thing with regard to Oz and Willow. And look how well THAT had ended up. "It just happened, they didn't plan it but it did. Bottom line, Kennedy won't dump her now just because we, her friends, say so..."

"You did it, once!" Xander said, upset, and regretted immediately it.

A look of pain crossed her face as Cordy looked at him. "I can't believe you just said that! I thought we were past all of this..."

Harris looked down. "We are…and I'm sorry, Cor. I didn't mean it." He looked back at her. "I just consider Kennedy a good friend, and now she's going out with the girl that willingly went rogue on us and helped the Mayor-"

"And nearly strangled you?" his girlfriend added, still a little upset at his words. "Xander, please. We have to keep out of this. And if it helps I talked to Angel on the phone the other day, and he vouched for Faith as well. Just drop it. It's out of our hands."

Knowing he was still reticent, Cordelia used her own little method of enticing her man to play ball. "And Xander, if you play nice, I'll give you a reward?"

One of his eyebrows instantly did the Mr. Spock impersonation at that. Cordelia's little rewards were always good to get. Plus, they kept going up in novelty with each new one. And while Xander was always scrambling to try to top hers, his girlfriend had turned it into an art. "Oh really?"

"Look in your wallet," Ms. Halliwell told him. "Second to last picture."

With his curiosity in overdrive, Xander took out his wallet and flipped through the small pictures…and his eyes went wide. For he was looking at a picture of Cordelia in a skimpy 'Jane' costume. It hardly covered anything, and what it DID cover just made Harris drool all the more...

Cordelia laughed at the look on his face. "So you tolerate Faith, and I'll let you be my Tarzan?"

Xander just nodded, hardly looking up from the picture. Cordelia leaned across the table and gave him a quick kiss. "Good boy," she teased, as Xander suddenly sent a brief smirk at her.

(If only I could have used sex to get my way back in high school,) Cordy then thought with a mental sigh, as her body tingled in sudden expectation of what would happen when they got to the hotel. (For one thing, I could have gotten Xander out of those god-awful clothes he loves, YEARS ago...)

---

**The Screen Savers, Tech TV Network.**

**The same time**

"Now, we've all heard the rumors that this game is somehow going to blow our collective socks off," host Leo Laporte said to his guest on the screen. "But can you tell us just how it's going to do that?"

"Gladly," Mike Loken from Varde Electronic Arts said, from his side of the satellite interview. "Leo, our company has come up with a new graphics engine and rendering method - one that honestly makes the games of last year look like Pac Man, by comparison..."

"How so?" Leo asked.

"You see, Leo," Loken said. "In games such as this - there's always the pre-rendered movie clips for the story, and then a pixilated version of the hero to play. Here we took a real woman, who also voices our heroine, and scanned her into the computer for both the movie scenes and the playable parts."

"But there has to be a decrease in quality in the playable version," Laporte said suspiciously.

"No, no, not here!" Loken responded. "The days of the almost cartoon-ish pixilated hero are over. You will see the picture perfect image of the hero, in this game! We've also greatly enhanced the backgrounds as well-"

"Well, I'm sure I can't wait to see what you came up with, if the hype is as much as I've heard," Leo said, before he switched gears. "Now - it's a Tomb Raider game, but certain people are saying Lara Croft isn't in this one?"

"That's right," Loken said on the screen. "We're trying to expand the franchise. The story has to do with Lady Sophia Croft, a great-aunt of Lara actually. Basically, Sophia's one of the spies dropped into occupied France in 1944; she aids the resistance and runs raids against the Nazis, that sort of thing. There's also some romance in the game between her and-"

---

**Office of Major Samantha Carter, Stargate Command, Colorado.**

**The same time**

"I still don't like this," Colonel Jack O'Neill grumbled, as Team SG-1 watched Leo and Mike on the TV.

A lot had changed for him and his team, ever since they had encountered Xander Harris in Washington state back in the summer of 1999. Like for example Sam's promotion from captain to major, meeting her civilian duplicate from an alternate dimension, then getting an 'upgrade' thanks to those damn armbands the Tok'Ra had found - all of it fun for the entire family, to be sure.

Not to mention the whole breakfast cereal time loop thingy, meeting that damn snake called Osiris, plus the perennial problem regarding one annoying ass named Senator Robert Kinsey…

"Sir, you just don't like Leo Laporte-" Sam started to say.

"Hey, the man doesn't like The Simpsons!" O'Neill snapped in annoyance.

"Do you think we'll at least get a free copy of the game?" Daniel Jackson asked his teammate, as he watched the interview and tried to avoid thinking about Jack's whole 'Homer and Burns' thing. "I mean, we DID negotiate the trade agreement that got us all the technology in the first place-"

"Well, since no one in the company knows where the technology came from…" Carter told him thoughtfully, "I highly doubt anyone will be sending us any free copies."

"And we gave a civilian company alien tech, why?" Jack asked grouchily.

"We let them develop it in tandem with us," Carter answered. "Plan is, it'll be used in the next generation of simulators for combat personnel-"

"Just as long as the geeks at Area 51 don't hog them all," Jack replied.

The hitherto-silent Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "Such things would have proven very useful, with regard to the attack upon the Death Star in the 'Star Wars' movie."

The other three members of SG-1 just looked at the big guy, and barely managed to restrain a loud groan.

----

**Exercise Room, Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles.**

**An hour later**

Faith the vampire Slayer was sweating up a storm, as she proceeded to beat the holy hell out of the three heavy foam dummies around her. She gave the one in front of her a savage uppercut and then jumped up and nailed the head off the right dummy with a back kick, while punching the left one in the face.

"Something on your mind?" her girlfriend asked, as Kennedy saw the foam head roll past her.

"Why do you ask?" Faith asked, as she pushed her sweat-soaked hair from her face.

Kennedy shrugged, as she picked up the foam head. "Just a hunch." She looked at the head in her hand and uttered, "Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio…"

"What?" Faith asked her with a confused look.

Kennedy smiled "It's from Hamlet…Shakespeare." She set it down and tossed a towel to Faith. "My first Watcher ended up making sure I knew that particular play by heart, as well as King Lear."

Faith shrugged as she walked to what was effectively the women's locker room around here, Kennedy keeping pace behind her into the locale. "Didn't have much appreciation for that stuff, before I dropped out."

"I've still got the books, if you want a little light…okay, heavy reading."

"No thanks, K," Faith told her as she took off her sports top and tossed it on the bench, quickly followed by her shoes and shorts.

Kennedy just leaned on the tiled wall, as the other Slayer showered. "You're worried about Xander."

"What makes ya think that?" Faith said archly, as she washed away the sweat and grime.

"Don't worry. I talked to Cordy, and she said she'd handle him," Faith's girlfriend tried to assure her.

Faith looked up from washing a leg to smirk. "Oh, yeah, I'm sure she's had lots of practice 'handling' the stud. But problem is, she won't be on my side either!"

Kennedy just sighed, hoping Faith wasn't right. "Try to think positive, okay? For me?"

Faith rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll try. But you have to do something for me."

"Sure, whatever-" Kennedy started to answer, before her girlfriend reached out and pulled her - fully clothed, at that - into the shower.

A few minutes later, Tina walked into the locker room. "Hey you guys, Angel wanted to know-"

She stopped dead in her tracks as she glimpsed the goings on, before the seer turned and ran the hell out of there. "Okay, okay, I SO didn't need to see that!" she muttered to herself.

---

**P3 parking lot, San Francisco, California.**

**7:45 p.m.**

Prue fished her keys out of her purse later that night, as she walked to her car. She had forgotten to charge her cell phone, and had to plug it into the car charger of all things.

Just as she reached her car though, the young woman heard a muffled scream. Looking around, the oldest Charmed One spotted two young women getting dragged into the alley by at least three vampires. "Damn it!" she cursed as ran towards the alley, pulling out the small stake that she usually kept with her.

"Mike, what's going on?" Kelly demanded. "And what happened to your face?"

"Hey! Let me go!" her friend Betty demanded of the strange man.

"Didn't I tell you, sire?" the newly-vamped Mike said with a sneer, as he forcefully grabbed Kelly's face. "Isn't she just a hot little number?"

A vampire dressed in Eighties punk rock gear came out of the shadows. "Oh, they both are…quite a good meal they'll make, too."

"Meal?" Betty asked, very much not liking that.

"Uh, boss?" Mike then asked, like a little boy with a new puppy. "Can I turn her? I always wanted to have some fun with her!"

"Actually, I've got a better idea!"

The three vampires turned sharply at the new voice. A shapely brunette woman was standing at the end of the alley. "Why don't you just let them go?" the femme asked, as she walked forward showing no fear. "And try me on for size?"

"Wow!" the other vampire called out. "Will ya get a load of that rack? I've got first dibs on her!"

Their sire, on the other hand, was not looking at her cleavage. He was looking at the stake in her hands. "Don't be a moron. We got us a Slayer to deal with!"

"What?" Mike asked his creator.

"Forget the bimbos!" the vampire, who was named Todd, ordered his children. "Kill her now!"

The second vamp charged Prue, but only got within ten feet. After that, he suddenly flew up into the air and spun upside down. "What the hell!" the vamp demanded, as its arms were forced by an unknown power behind his back.

"Lesson number one in demon fighting," Prue told the demonic creature as she stepped up to it. "Never resort to a fist fight, if you don't have to."

With that said, she rammed the stake into the hovering vampire - causing it to explode into nothing.

"Luke!" Mike called out as he angrily let go of Kelly. "What the hell are you, some sorta demon?"

"Not a demon, no," Prue said, before she levitated a broken sheet of glass from the dumpster. With a flick of her wrist it flew at the undead man, and cleanly sliced his head clean off. "Actually, I'm a witch."

"I don't care what you are!" Todd yelled, as he charged her himself now that his minions were dead. He was running at full speed and was about to try to jump the witch - when he was suddenly airborne.

However, it was not Prue's power levitating the damned creature off the ground.

"Well, that's certainly new..." the woman said in surprise, as she watched the caped man flying the struggling vampire up into the air. Prue simply watched as the two stopped high in the air; then a red light of some kind showed came out of nowhere, and the vampire dusted.

She quickly went back on the offensive, when the costumed man flew back down to her. But all he said to her was, "Are you okay, ma'am?"

"That depends," Prue commented. "On whether or not I'm going to have to fight you."

The costumed man seemed to just look at her for a few moments before relaxing. "No need for any of that, miss, as far as I'm concerned we don't have a problem. I only picked up the vampires…and those two running girls."

"The girls?" Prue asked quickly. "Did they-"

"They're fine," the masked man with a red jewel in his left eye told her. "Though they'll probably repress this completely, by the morning."

He then touched something on his belt, as the large buckle glowed blue and he lifted off the ground. "I suggest you go home, miss-"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Prue said, amazed that he was just leaving. That shtick was supposed to belong to the Charmed Ones, after all! "Who the hell are you?"

He stopped for just a moment. "People call me Nightman."

----

**Parking Garage, Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles.**

**Saturday, April 21st 2001**

**10 a.m.**

Charles Gunn looked up from working on his truck, to see the light red 70's Cuda drive in. "Hot damn, bro," he said in amazement, as he walked up to the car. "Them's a really nice set of wheels, but you guys can't park in here-"

"Hi. You're Gunn, right?" Xander asked, as he got out.

"Yeah-" the former gang leader said, looking over the new arrival. "Hey, wait a minute, I know you…you're the guy that annoyed the hell outta Wesley a while back!"

"It's so much fun to do, too," Xander answered with a smirk.

"Xander..." the good-looking brunette said from her side, as she got out as well. "We have a deal, remember?"

Harris kept an amused smile on his face, till he saw his girlfriend's expression. "I remember, and relax - I'll play nice."

"That's…smart of you," Cordy said, amused herself as she turned and went for the stairs with the faded arrow pointing up.

Gunn looked towards Harris in total understanding. "Ah, so young. And so whipped!"

Xander watched Cordy's ass sway in the darkness of the garage, as she walked away. "Well, maybe if I'm lucky later..."

----

**Hyperion Lobby**

**A few minutes later**

"Xander," Angel said with a curt nod, as the human came into his hotel.

Xander just returned the nod, "Angel."

After that, a very awkward silence fell between the two men. "Nice place," Xander eventually said, looking around the hotel. "Solidly built, I'd guess. Art deco style, circa 1920's?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" the undead guy said.

"Used to own a carpentry business." After that Xander fell silent again, now that the small talk was over.

In ancient days, both guys had had exactly one thing in common - besides disliking each other; Buffy Summers. But now the blond Slayer was dealing with her own problems on the Hellmouth, far away from either Los Angeles or San Francisco.

When Xander attempted to pretend to read a month-old People magazine of Tina's, Angel finally broke the silence. "Look, Xander…I know you have your doubts about Faith-"

"I have more than doubts, Angel. Don't sugarcoat it, okay?" Xander said with a sigh. "Still, given all my screw-ups in the past - did you know I recently tried to kill myself, like you did that Christmas? - I'll admit that everyone deserves a second chance. Even you - and her. But she's awfully close to a good friend of mine, these days..."

"Kennedy is a big girl, Xander," Angel told him simply. "And she's a Slayer-"

"Being a Slayer doesn't mean jack, in terms of good and evil. You of all vampires should know that," Xander said sourly. "Faith was a Slayer when she shot you with that poison arrow, remember?"

"I haven't forgotten. But that's not who she is anymore. Just give her a chance," the vampire asked.

"Already promised Cordy I would," Xander said with another sigh, as he leaned on the counter. "But I'm not going to turn my back on her, and wait for Faith to turn into our version of Michael Eddington."

"Who?"

"Deep Space Nine character, one of my favorites. Even if the show isn't, not anymore," Xander filled in for his past antagonist.

Angel looked at him in confusion for a moment, struggling to deal with pop culture references - the way he always did. "This isn't a TV show, Xander, this is real life..."

"Yeah, sure it is!" Xander suddenly laughed. "And I'm sitting here talking to the vampire with a soul, former boyfriend of my first crush, about a Slayer who once tried to kill us all. Yeah, I bet you can convince the man on the street that all this is really real life, without any problems at all..."

----

**Kennedy's room**

The same time 

"Anyone home?" Cordelia asked, as she knocked on the door.

"Hey, C," Faith said a bit too casually, from her spot sitting on the bed.

"Ah, hi Faith," Cordy said, trying to keep normal. "Where's Kennedy?"

"Downstairs, using the crapper," the brunette Chosen One informed her. "Girl's shower works up here, but the toilet's a lost cause."

"Well, it is a very old building and all," Cordy commented. "Maybe I can ask Xander or Leo to go over it and try to fix a few things, for you guys..."

"Leo? That guy what showed up looking for Xander last time?" Faith asked, as she got up.

"Yeah," Cordy said, before she stopped Faith from going out the door. She then took a deep breath, "Look, Faith…"

"I know already, C," Faith told her simply. "Kennedy told me how you'd be keeping X on a leash…"

"He's not a dog, but yeah, Xander will be on his best behavior," Cordy replied, with a small grimace. "But I want to say something for me."

Her face then turned to the superior scowl that many unpopular kids in Sunnydale High used to fear with good reason. "You've become one of the good guys again...fine. So all I'm gonna say is that you're not going to hurt Kennedy, because if you do…" The Charmed One held up her hand, and it quickly caught on fire. "This is just a sample of what I can do to you. We clear?"

"Ah, yeah…" Faith said, as she backed up from the flames, briefly wondering at how Cordy kept from burning herself. "I'm not going to go all badass on her, I swear."

"Good!" Cordelia said, as the fire went out and her entire attitude changed. She was back to the normal perky Cordelia Halliwell. "Now, let's go find our dates for tonight!"

---

**Elsewhere in the hotel**

**A few minutes later**

Xander met with Kennedy, as she came out of the bathroom. "Hey, Ken…can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Yeah - but I already know what you're gonna say, Xander," Kennedy replied. "And look, I know my choice of girlfriend is not something that you-"

"Whoa now, let's back up a moment here. 'Cause I didn't want to talk to you about that," Harris interrupted her.

The young lesbian looked surprised. "Huh? You didn't? Okay - then, what?"

Xander pulled her off to the side. "I talked to Angel in the lobby about Faith, just now. About her - and another thing." He looked very seriously at his companion. "Has Angel ever asked you about the power level of the Charmed Ones?"

"Ah, no, not really," the most junior of the three Slayers said, unsure. "Why?"

"He asked me if I thought that Cordelia and her sisters were powerful enough to ever do the soul curse on him," Xander informed her.

"The one that that Willow girl did, back in the day?" Kennedy asked. "Xander, why would Angel-"

"Because," Xander told her. "He wanted to know, as a security precaution thing. Just in case he ever lost his soul again."

Kennedy shrugged. "Oh, I see. Well, you of all people should know what Cordelia, Piper and Prue are capable of! If I had to guess, I'd have to say that any one of the three of them could do it-"

"Actually, I told Angel that I didn't know - since it's so old and specialized a spell. And if he ever asks you, I gotta request this - that's the party line you need to follow."

"What? And why did you say that?" she asked. "The Charmed Ones are supposed to be the most powerful witches in the entire world!"

Xander crossed his arms, "Maybe you don't know, but there was someone back in 1998...the first woman who tried to recurse him that way. Gypsy high school teacher, whose only sin was lying to the old gang about who she really was. Anyway, long story short, Angelus was warned about it somehow; so he chased her down and snapped her neck. Then he left the corpse in her boyfriend's bed as a joke, or so I gather the evil vamp saw it apparently..."

Kennedy looked sick. "Xander-"

But the young man went on, "I'm not telling you all this to make you hate the guy, really; because there's a big difference between Angel and Angelus. I understand that nowadays, I honestly do. It's just that I sure as hell don't ever want that soulless vampire showing up in San Fran one night, going after Cordy or her sisters."

---

**Wu Ping's Chinese Restaurant, Chinatown, Los Angeles.**

**Later that night**

"Just wanted to warn ya, X," Faith said, trying to be helpful. "Me and my buds used to boost cars back in Boston, after we got bored during the summers. That's how I know those wheels of yours are kinda rare, and this neighborhood…"

"Nah, don't worry about it," Xander said with a large smile, one that all three femmes present appreciated for its sincerity. "No one is going to touch my baby. Hell, I could leave it parked there for a month, and it won't even get towed!"

"Angel's car got stolen once a while back, Xander," Kennedy pointed out.

Xander put his arm around Cordy's shoulder. "One of the perks of dating a Charmed One? It's got magic for a car alarm."

"We tested it out back home, a while back," Cordy grinned. "Hell, we parked it right next to an illegal chop shop, and no one even looked at the Cuda funny!"

Xander just smiled again. "People just pass it by. And on the off chance the magic thing doesn't pan out, Grams had a 'return to owner' spell in the Book."

Faith wanted to say something about how Xander had never seemed to be good with magic back in SunnyD, but then the waiter came up before she could do so. "May I take order?" he asked in broken English.

Cordy didn't even look up from the menu, and spoke in perfect Mandarin to the waiter. She ordered both her and Xander's meals, and then looked towards Kennedy. "What do you guys want?"

"Ah, I'll take number three and…" Kennedy responded, looking over as Faith held up two fingers. "And she'll have two."

Faith watched in amazement, as Cordelia told the waiter their orders. "When did you learn to speak Chinese?"

Cordy looked kind of embarrassed. "I kind of cast a get-smart spell on myself a while back, and - maybe I kept a thing or two..."

---

**SIU Barge, San Francisco, California.**

**Sunday, April 22nd 2001**

**7:00 a.m.**

Inspector Darryl Morris waited till the young patrol officer left the area, before he talked to Captain Bridges. "Sir, you have a minute?"

"Sure, Darryl," Nash said, as he tossed a file into his out tray. "What's on your mind?"

"I talked to Prue Halliwell last night," the cop told his boss. "She was dealing with some vampires - when a guy calling himself Nightman showed up. According to Prue, he flew the vampire up into the sky, and then dusted him somehow."

Nash rubbed his chin. "Nightman? Let me guess. Tall guy, black armour with a cape and a big red eye?"

"Yeah," Darryl replied in surprise, as he sat across from Nash. "You knew?"

"We've tried to keep him out of the papers for a while now," Bridges said. "He showed up in town about two months ago. Regular old Batman routine, it looks like."

"Man. Demons, witches and vampires, and now this? This town is just getting crazier every day!" Morris sighed.

"That it is, bubba," Nash agreed. "That it is."

---

**Los Angeles, California.**

**The same time**

Xander Harris lay in bed, not really awake yet, watching Cordelia sleep in their corporate-sponsored hotel room.

This was his favorite time of day, lately. When his girlfriend still looked like the incredibly beautiful, yet exotically spoiled and tactlessly blunt princess she had once been.

Before they had both found out about the things that go bump in the night. Before she had learned what her ancestry and heritage truly was.

Xander tried not to think about it, but the sad fact was that any demon worth his salt would really make a name for himself in taking out the three sisters. And one day, one or two or maybe all of the Charmed Ones would die doing their duty in protecting an innocent. And there was nothing he could do to take that burden away from them, except try to delay it for as long as he could.

(It's been nearly five years,) the young man thought to himself. (And everyone around me keeps growing in terms of power, being able to fight the good fight. All of them, except me. Oh well, if that's my lot in life - I guess...so be it. It's just too bad that they'll never understand what it's like to live so close to the spotlight, and never step into it...)

The One Who Sees had no way of knowing just how wrong he was. Both about his own destiny, and Cordelia's.

---

**Exhibitor's Parking Lot, Los Angeles Convention Center, California.**

Forty-five minutes later 

"I still say it's too early to be up," Xander yawned, as they waited for the gate to rise.

"Well, you should have gone to sleep sooner!" Cordy admonished him from the passenger seat.

"I tried if you recall, honey," Xander grumbled. "But someone kept waking me up..."

"Well, sorry!" Cordelia grumbled. "I'm excited, I get introduced to my adoring fans today!"

Xander smiled. "And how many of those fans will be little weirdo guys, do you think?"

Cordy looked skyward in annoyance, as they drove on to their assigned parking spot. "For the last time, Xander, there is no nude code!"

"There is for every other Tomb Raider game," Xander stated for the tenth time, in the last few days.

---

**E3 Food Court, Los Angeles Convention Center**

**11:05 a.m.**

"How on earth did I ever let you talk me into this?" Jessica Wakefield demanded of her twin sister.

"Jess, please," Elizabeth Wakefield said, rolling her eyes. "YOU were the one that wanted to come! We told you why we were coming here." Her best friend since forever, Enid Rollins, nodded as she munched on her Subway sandwich.

"This entire place is full of geeks!" the snobbish Wakefield cried, as she watched a group of people dressed as elves walk by.

"It's a game convention. What did you expect?" Liz told her.

Jessica moved some blond hair out of her eyes as she sighed. "Well, I can see why Manny and Winston love this place. Geeks of a feather…"

"Hey!" Enid cried. "My Manny is not a geek!"

"Of course he is…" Jessica started to say, but trailed off. "Oh my God! It couldn't be!"

Liz sighed. "Okay, which famous person do you think you saw now?"

"Alexander," Jessica said, still amazed.

"Alexander who?" Liz asked, not really caring.

Jessica pointed over towards the McDonald's booth. "Will you wake up? Our cousin, Alexander Harris!"

"What?" Liz asked in shock, as she quickly turned to look. "Where?"

"The guy in the grey shirt!" Jessica told her. "I don't see how, but that's him! I swear to God!"

Enid looked as well. "Uh, wasn't he the son of that aunt who got drunk at your place a few years ago?"

"Drunk?" Jessica snorted. "She vomited all over Thanksgiving dinner, and even hit on our dad!"

"We haven't seen him since when?" Liz asked her twin sister. "Eighth or ninth grade?"

"He looks good," Enid commented, as they watched the young man in question get a few bags from the fast food booth.

"Well, then someone else must be dressing him these days!" Jessica observed, remembering childlike terrors about her male cousin's clothing.

"So let's go talk to him," Liz said as she got up.

Jessica grabbed her arm. "Uh, Liz?"

"What? He's our cousin!" the smarter twin responded.

"Yeah, yeah," Jess said. "But, uh, how could he not have turned out like his parents? Our family did cut off all ties with them for a reason, you know."

"Well, we won't know till we talk to him," Liz reasoned. "Come on, we're adults now..."

"Fine!" Jessica threw up her hands.

"Ah, guys?" Enid asked the twins. "Where did he go?"

---

**Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California.**

**The same time**

"Don't jump!"

Leo opened his eyes in surprise, as he heard someone shout those words out. He was just up here to mediate a little, on his down time. And now there was someone going to jump? Looking around at the roadway far down below him, he didn't see anyone on the ledge.

"Just stay calm…" a male voice said from behind him.

The whitelighter turned surprised to see a flying man land behind him. "Hello. Let me guess, you must be…Nightman?"

"Yes," Nightman said, wondering how this man had gotten up here, let alone able to guess who he was.

"Pleasure to meet you."

The guy frowned, as he looked at Leo. "I take it you're not going to jump?"

"Wasn't exactly planning on it," Leo said casually. "Just came up here to think for a while."

"All right, then…" Nightman said, before he stopped cold. "Damn."

"Something wrong?" Leo asked the unofficial superhero.

"A friend of mine is in trouble," Nightman said, as he quickly lifted off the bridge. "Are you gonna be okay getting down?"

"I got up here under my own power," Leo replied. "Getting down again won't be a problem."

After that the man in the cape flew away, leaving Leo all alone again in the morning sunlight.

---

**Los Angeles Convention Center, California**

**1:12 p.m.**

At the end of the basement stairwell, two beings magically appeared out of nowhere.

"Whoa!" the blond witch named Billie said, as she almost barfed up her lunch and tried to steady herself. "You weren't kidding. Time travel sucks!"

The older of the two, the brunette Charmed One from the future known as Paige Matthews, smiled. "I know, it's a headache. But you get used to it."

The twenty-something Billie finally steadied herself, and looked around. "Did we end up where we were supposed to?"

Paige looked around. "Only way to find out, is to head upwards."

"I hope to God we're at least in fashion," Billie commented, as the two women trekked up the concrete stairs.

---

Not far away, Faith and Kennedy walked into the convention center with amusement. "I'm telling ya, K, wear a Princess Leia costume in here and you could have all these…" she trailed off as the brunette saw a few Lord of Rings getups, "…guys. Okay, so maybe that's not quite the right word to use…"

Kennedy laughed, as she nudged her girlfriend. "Hey, check out the Darth Maul wannabe over there. I bet he could give us a run for our money!"

"He doesn't have the costume completely right," Faith replied, having seen Episode I lately with Kennedy on DVD. "No horns either. I mean, whatever happened to having some pride in your work? What's the point of painting your face all red and black like that, if ya don't even do it right?"

It was lucky for her Belthazor had other things on his mind, and didn't hear the criticism. Or he would have very likely fried Faith with an energy ball, Slayer or not, in public or not…

----

**Elsewhere in the convention center**

**A few minutes later**

#How's it going down there, Xander?# Prue's voice asked through the phone line.

"So far so good, big sis," Xander said a little teasingly. It had taken him a while, but he had finally found something to annoy Prue with. He leaned against the backstage wall, as he talked into his cell phone. "Got in yesterday afternoon, went and saw Kennedy…"

#How's our old Slayer pal doing these days?# Prue asked.

"Good," Xander replied. "Okay, maybe I don't exactly love her choice of girlfriends…but I'm not going to say that in front of either her or Cordy."

#You're getting smarter. So, has my little sis made her grand appearance yet?# Prue asked, wondering about Cordelia now.

"In about a half-hour or so," Xander told her. "Cor went through the scene with the stunt guys for a few hours, and now she's with hair and makeup."

#Well, tell her good luck from me and Piper!# Prue said. #I have to go check out the Book about something.#

"Anything we would need a heads-up for?" Xander wondered if yet another attack had happened at the manor.

#No,# Prue told him. #We just have our very own Caped Crusader to deal with, is all. I'll fill you guys in when you get back.#

"Okay," Xander replied. "But just remember, we're only a phone call away if things get...hairy."

#Sure thing, bye.#

"Later, Prue," Xander said, as he flipped his phone closed.

His girlfriend's voice came from behind him. "Is everything okay back home?" Cordelia asked, as her male hairstylist finished making her hair perfect.

"Yep," Xander reassured her, suddenly glad he had spoken such that no civilian would truly understand his phone conversation with the oldest Charmed One. "And relax, if your sisters need us Leo will come get. And they both said to say good luck."

When the makeup lady came back over to start again, Xander took it as his cue to exit, stage left. "I'm going to head out now and find a good seat, okay?"

"Just don't block any of my soon-to-be fans!" Cordelia called after him with a laugh.

----

**The main part of the convention center**

**The same time**

The Hispanic-looking demon known as Trex angrily stalked through the crowd of humans, gathered in the convention hall.

He didn't know the exact date to which he'd come back through time, but whatever it was - he knew that he had to find his target, and fast. Chances were those two witches had come back as well. He had to pull this off quickly, in order to do what so many demons had died trying to do.

Kill the Charmed Ones.

For ten years, those bitches had taken on just about everything the underworld could throw at them and won. There'd been a huge celebration down below when one of the three had been killed years back, but that had quickly vanished when another Charmed One had shown up to take her place.

(Humans. They really do breed like animals,) Trex thought dourly, as he saw a large group of children near some children's games.

Fortunately, a moment later he found his target. Or rather, a giant poster image of her. The graphic representation of Cordelia Halliwell was staring back at him, with a pair of guns in her hands. Wanting all the intel he could get Trex spoke to a nearby human, "Hey kid, what's this supposed to be?"

The young teenager looked at him, shocked. "You're kidding, right? Man, that's the promo for Tomb Raider: Operation Overlord! It's already said to be the hottest game of the year!"

"What about her?" the demon demanded, pointing to the large vinyl poster.

"Major league hottie, isn't she?" the male teen replied with a stupid, lustful grin. "I read somewhere that she's the model they used for the game. And hey, it's said to be so lifelike-"

"Where is she now?" Trex wanted to know, not caring about the game.

The teenager smiled and pointed. "Over at the big booth, dude. Word is she's going to do some promotional stunts soon."

Trex looked over at the booth with a small stage. "Can't wait for the show," he said simply, with a typical evil laugh.

---

**Not far away**

**The same time**

"Hey, wait up!"

Xander didn't pay any attention to the yelling, there was a lot of that going on, but this one kept getting closer. Only when someone yelled "Alexander!" did he stop and look back.

"God!" one of the blond twins that came up to him whined. "What is with you? I do not like having to run!"

"Okay…" Xander said, wondering why these attractive girls were talking to him. "Uh, do I know you guys?"

The annoyed girl seemed to take offence to that. "It's me! Your cousin Jessica!" She pointed to her sister. "And that's Liz. Remember us now?"

It didn't take Harris long to place the names. He only had one set of twin cousins, after all. "Wakefield?"

"Well, duh!" Jessica exclaimed, still annoyed.

"Jess!" Liz lightly scolded her sister. "Long time no see, Alex."

"Yeah, uh, and it's Xander now," Xander said, still surprised a little at the family reunion. "Guess it's been a few years, ever since my mom tried to make us step-siblings..."

---

**Another part of the convention center**

**The same time**

"Hey, watch it!" one of the hot brunette girls yelled.

"Sorry," Winston Egbert said, as he backed off. "The, uh…the crowd kind of pushed me…"

"Sure they did, stud," the other brunette laughed.

"Hey, they did!" Winston replied. "I don't just go around and try to bump into girls. I'm not that hard up for a social life!"

This time the two Slayers shared a laugh, as the tall guy with glasses went over to a few empty arcade machines. "So whatcha playing there, boy toy?" Faith asked the guy, as they leaned on the railing.

"You going to dance for us?" Kennedy said, lightly teasing as the guy went to one of the Dance Revolution games.

The lanky young man spared them a quick, amused look, before he started up the game. Winston then suddenly became very coordinated, and started matching the computer move for move. He only missed the odd one or two steps, as the music played.

"Damn!" Faith said appreciatively, as Egbert did a full turn on the machine's floor pad - not missing a beat.

---

**Not far away**

**The same time**

"So…" Jessica said somewhat uneasily, as the three cousins sat at the table.

"Ah, the awkward silence moment," Xander mused. "You don't know if I'm a deadbeat like my dad, and not worth the trouble of talking to?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it that way…" Liz started, but was cut off by her sister. "I would!"

"Don't mind her," Liz told Xander at once. "Apparently Jess has this mental defect, where she can't figure out the meaning of the word tact."

"I'm used to it," Xander said with a smirk. "More than you could ever know..."

"So, not a drunk?"

Liz looked at her sibling, shocked. "Jessica!"

"Not a drunk," Xander responded with a shrug, and not insulted at the insinuation. "I hardly ever even touch the stuff, apart from my work as a nightclub bartender."

"That's good," Liz said, genuinely happy that her cousin had avoided that sort of life. "Oh, are you still living in Sunnyvale?"

"Nope. Moved to San Francisco back in '99, almost straight after high school graduation," Xander told her. "And it was Sunnydale, by the way."

"So, who's picking out your clothes these days?" Jessica asked, interested. "Because from what I remember, cuz, you had these Salvation Army-looking-"

"You went to Sunnydale High School?"

Both relatives stopped and looked at an astonished Liz Wakefield. "So what, Liz?"

"So what?" Liz asked with shock, looking at her sister. "Jess, Sunnydale High blew up two years ago during its graduation ceremony!"

"Ah, Liz?" Jessica said, a little too slow. "Alexan…sorry, Xander, is alive and right in front of us. If his school blew up, wouldn't that mean he was dead?"

"Me and my buds were in the courtyard," Xander informed them. "Only a few people died, when the big gas explosion hit. And we were damn lucky that day, I tell you; it coulda been a lot worse!"

---

**Second Floor Balcony**

**The same time**

From the ledge above the main show floor, Cole Turner was watching Harris and the two girls talk. And he had finally reverted back to his human form, after one too many Darth Maul comments.

As far as the half-demon was concerned, it had been a good idea to dress up as so many humans did for this event; but Cole had underestimated the impact of George Lucas on the national media scene, and his upcoming Episode II movie.

So it just made more sense to get less attention, by manifesting as a plain old human.

And humans did love their technology, that was for sure. He had seen many things here today, from video games to new electronic gizmos. It was yet another example of the difference in his two worlds, in Cole's mind. Humans kept advancing, while the underworld seemed to become more stagnant with every passing year-

"He has your interest still, Belthazor?" a seemingly 50-year-old man asked, as he came up to the railing.

"Who-?" Cole started to ask angrily, when he saw the dark eyes flash with flames of fire. Instantly, the demon bowed his head in subservience. "I didn't know that you had surfaced. Or that I warranted your personal attention, these days..."

"I always keep an eye out for your activities, Belthazor. Whatever you do and wherever you go," the possessed man spoke in a deep, foreboding voice. "Ah, young Xander Harris," he then said, after a glance to the table a floor below.

"You know who he is?" Cole asked, not hiding his surprise. "May I ask why YOU would care about such a lowly human?"

"This one is special," the dark lord responded. "For he is one of those that can act as a nexus of destiny. And despite all his preconceived intentions, this human could still go either way. Great good, or great evil…" He showed a deadly smile. "It all depends on who drafts him onto their team first."

"HIM!" Cole asked, very upset. "But that little nothing is…"

The Source of All Evil looked to him with amusement. "That little nothing has unknowingly survived all your attempts to kill him, has he not? A feat most humans could not possibly accomplish."

"Luck," Cole said quickly. "That's all it is. And as soon as he's out of the way, Cordelia will be an easy target-"

"You still wish to kill her first?" The Source asked. "Or will you finally admit to yourself, how your feelings regarding that witch have…changed?"

"I'm not one of your fawning underlings anymore," Cole seethed. "The big all-knowing thing is not going to impress me!"

"All evil is under my domain," The Source told him firmly. "And you can not hide what is obvious."

Cole just grumbled a little before he answered, "I'll admit, she is pleasing on the eyes. It's just, spending so much energy on this…."

"You feel that after it's over, your feelings will pass," The Source finished for him.

"Well," Cole suddenly smiled. "She's tempting enough that I might keep her around for a bit, afterwards. It has been a while, you know."

"You would be wise not to let your human side influence you too much, Belthazor," the elderly man said, his dark eyes showing his distaste. "It is a trapping of humans, the perils of the flesh."

"So how's that little girl of yours doing?" Cole bit back, referring to the scantily-clad demon seer that served the Source.

"Well enough. And if you speak of her again in such a manner, I will cut out your tongue and make you swallow it," The Source informed Cole calmly.

The half-human turned to face the biggest evil in the underworld, not fazed by the threat. "Make no mistake, I will kill Xander Harris - and when Cordelia Halliwell is most vulnerable, I will strike. We both know the Charmed Ones must be taken out, before they get too powerful-"

"Not yet. I have need of Harris for the time being," The Source told him. "Leave, and go back to the mortal life that you have set up for yourself. You're a lawyer, so that should keep you busy - for now."

"How long must I wait?" Cole asked, clearly not liking the order.

"As long as I wish you to," The Source told him coldly. "And granted, the Charmed Ones are a danger for the moment. But if one turns the right nexus…everything can change, in the blink of an eye..."

---

**Not far away**

**The same time**

"I've seen those two before, haven't I?" Billie asked Paige, as they watched Xander, Jess and Liz from a table down the row of tables.

"They're Xander's cousins," Paige informed her. "There's a picture in the parlor from when Xander and Cordy went down there for the Fourth of July weekend, a while back."

"Ah," Billie said. "The picture right next to that one of Piper and that Chris guy, that you won't talk about?"

"It's for the best," Paige responded quickly.

"Fine," Billie said, annoyed - and having had this talk before. "I mean, Piper and Leo named little Chris after that man, and yet no one ever talks about him? It's just weird to me, is all."

"More than you know," Paige said with a touch of sadness, recalling past events.

"Okay," Billie said. "Getting back on topic…we're here, so we have to assume our friend is here too, somewhere. And this would be sooo much easier, if we just warn Xander and Cordy-"

"No," Paige said at once, as she kept an eye on her future brother-in-law and his family. "Xander drilled that into us before we left, remember? No interaction with either of them."

"But they don't know either of us at this point, and they won't meet me for years yet…" Billie replied with a touch of exasperation. "I can just describe-"

"No," Paige said again flatly. "If we screw up anything here, we could change the future - for the worse. Trust me, in the past Cordy and I have had our fill of having to fix the timeline!"

"Fine," Billie sighed as she rested her head on her hands, before looking up oddly. "Huh. It seems we're not the only one interested in Xander..."

"You've spotted the demon?" Paige asked immediately.

"Not unless the guy can shape-shift and has stolen better clothes," the younger witch replied. "Up on the second floor railing, talking to the old guy?"

Paige scanned the balcony overlooking the seating area, and stopped cold when she saw a very familiar male face. "I don't believe it…Cole?"

Billie looked at her with alarm because of her tone, "Tall and studly is a bad guy?"

"Depends on which day of the week you knew him, actually," Paige said, amazed. "Still, he's long dead now. I'm just surprised because - well, I mean, he confessed to Cordy while Xander was…" the Charmed One tried to find the right word. "…gone, that he had stalked them both…but I didn't know it was this far back!"

They watched as the older man finished talking to the attorney, and then seemed to slump slightly and look around in confusion. But Cole just ignored the 50-year-old's bewildered questions, as he stalked towards the exit.

"Okay, this might have just gotten a lot harder," Paige said, as she watched the 'man' leave.

---

**SIU Barge, San Francisco, California.**

**1:48 p.m.**

"Hey, Darryl?"

The black cop looked up from his desk to see Captain Bridges. "I have someone I want you to meet," Nash said neutrally.

"Sure," Morris told his commander as he got up.

"She's at my desk," Nash said as Darryl walked with him up the stairs. "I've been looking around, and I think I've finally found someone who might fit in real well here - considering what we now know what goes on in this city, at nights."

"Sir?" Darryl asked, wondering if Nash had brought in some fake demon hunter off the web or something.

"Career LAPD detective, Darryl. But she was forcibly canned out of the force a few months ago, because she continually got involved with strange cases that seemed to have no conventional explanations - and Xander's old vampire friend was a bit…indiscreet," Nash told him.

"You mean, it was like how Xander said the cops in Sunnydale acted out?" Morris asked, ignoring the bit about Angel for now. "They tried to just sweep it all under the rug?"

"Maybe," Nash admitted. "But my take is that those guys in LA weren't really trying to cover it up, they just don't believe in that sort of stuff. Hell, I wouldn't either if I hadn't seen what I've seen..."

"Does she know anything about our…recent fun?" Morris asked, as they reached the top of the stairs.

"Not yet," Nash told him. "Spend some time with her, and get to know her. And then talk to the Halliwells, see if they think she should be let in on it."

"Will do," Darryl responded.

The two men walked up to the desk where Joe was talking to the newest recruit of the SFPD. "Inspector Morris, say hello to your new partner. Detective - no, 'scuse me, make that Inspector Kate Lockley!"

"Hello, partner," Kate said warmly as she turned to Morris.

"Nice to meet you," Darryl told the attractive young blond in the blue turtleneck sweater, taking a liking to her at once. "And please, call me Darryl."

"I'm Kate, then..."

---

**UC Sunnydale Coffee Shop, Sunnydale, California.**

**1:55 p.m.**

Jesse looked up from his edition of Sports Illustrated, to see Willow sit across from him. "Hey."

"Hey," Willow replied, a little timid.

"Is something wrong, Wills?" Jesse asked, the whitelighter appearing concerned at once.

The redhead seemed to think for a moment, before answering. "Jesse…I, I've been thinking about it. And I need you to do something for me."

"Of course…if I can," Jesse told her.

"I've been talking to Tara," Willow started out, instantly causing Jesse to not like this. "And she won't tell me much about what happened, when you and her orbed out to help that other witch you watch over..."

"Yeah. Because anything that happens between a charge and her whitelighter is confidential," Jesse told her.

"I know," Willow said. "Tara said that as well. But it seems like you need all the help you can get, right? So what I need you to do for me is talk to those Elder guys up there, to have a whitelighter assigned to me."

The guardian angel sighed. "It doesn't work that way, Willow. I've spoken to them about it before, you know that - but they just don't feel you're at the level yet to be assigned one of my kind-"

"But I've been studying!" Willow told him quickly. "I know more spells than I ever did in high school, and I did that enjoining spell to stop Adam…"

"Still, Willow, can't you see? That's not it," Jesse told her. "Sure, you have the spell part down just fine - well, mostly. But you're not learning the appropriate control along with it! Do I need to remind you of that little stunt you pulled at the beach all those months back, to try to convince Riley, Buffy and Tara of your power level?"

"Jesse…"

The young man ignored her pleading tone. "The witches the Elders oversee have to be ready to save the world, or even just one innocent at a moment's notice-"

"But I do that!" Willow said, a little too loudly. "Jesse - I've been using magic ever since junior year, to fight evil with Buffy!"

"With Buffy," Jesse repeated. "And that's the trouble right there, I'm afraid. Willow, when Tara and I went to France to help that witch battle the demon out gunning for her…did we bring Buffy along with us? Heck, did we even tell her about it?"

"Well, no…" the redheaded admitted.

"But you would have wasted time that way, it would have been…instinctive. And that's why you're not ready to work with a whitelighter yet," Jesse told her honestly. "Look, Willow, I'm not saying it'll never happen - but you've only been a magic practitioner for a few years…"

Willow held up her hand to cut him off. "But Cordelia was never a witch before she moved away with Xander, and now she's this big super-duper Charmed One!"

"Not true," Jesse responded. "The three sisters all had their powers, from even before birth. Because of a situation with a warlock, Penny and Patty had to bind their powers...but that's not important, right now. I guess what I'm trying to say is - don't try to rush it, Willow, you still have a long life ahead of you-"

"That's assuming Glory doesn't kill us all," the redhead muttered under her breath.

Jesse winced. He had told the Elders about his suspicions regarding Glory being Ben and Ben being Glory, thanks to Cordelia's vision that day, but for now he was under orders not to do anything that would cause harm to an innocent; as that was technically what Ben was.

And even if the whitelighter HAD in effect told Buffy "trust me, he's a bad guy, slay him", the blond Chosen One would have had a very hard time killing Glory's human half in cold blood - the example of her sister Slayer Faith never far from her thoughts.

Sighing, Jesse tried to focus on Willow again. "Assuming that, yes. But the Glory sitch or otherwise, if you try to go from the minor leagues to the majors before you're ready - it could be very bad."

---

**LA Convention Center, Los Angeles, California.**

**2:07 p.m.**

"I have to say, Xander, this is SO not how I thought you would ever end up," Jessica told her cousin, as they moved to their new seats on the bleachers surrounding the stage. "You don't drink, your clothes match, and you're in a serious relationship with the former head cheerleader from your old high school?"

"Yeah, well, gotta admit - it's not how I thought I would ever end up either," Xander admitted, as they sat down in the second row. "But hey, I'm not complaining!"

"Mmmm. I can see why," Jessica joked, as she saw one of the large posters of Cordelia as her game character.

"Hey, guys."

The three cousins looked around to see Enid and her boyfriend Manny come and sit in front of them. "I see you found your cousin," Enid finished up.

Liz did the introductions. "Enid, Manny, this is our cousin Xander Harris."

"Hi, nice to meet you," Xander said politely, as he and Manny shook hands. Enid just did a Willow-like wave at him.

"Where's Winston?" Liz wondered to her best friend.

"He's trying to score," Manny grumbled.

Jessica looked at him in shock "Winston has a girl?"

"Two of them," Manny said, still not believing it either. "He was getting down on that dance game-"

"The one he won that dorky championship on?" Jess asked.

"Yeah," Manny told her. "Last time I saw him, he was dancing up a storm with two hot brunettes. And they weren't disliking what they were seeing!"

Jessica looked at Xander, and then shook her head. "What is this world coming to? The dorks get all the hot girls now!"

"Well, I know this guy I could set you up with…" Xander started to say.

But Jessica cut him off at once. "No, thank you! I like my men studly, yet dumb."

---

**Second Floor Balcony**

The same time 

Trex watched, as the stage show began. He watched Cordelia shoot a bunch of blanks on stage, and then flip two stunt guys over her shoulder. He had to admit the view wasn't at all bad, as Cordelia did a side kick into a guy's face.

In fact, he might have been more than mildly attracted to her - if the bitch hadn't done so much to almost wipe his demon clan out of existence...

As the stunt show kept going, Trex was about to let loose with an energy ball to fry that young bitch, but he only got as far as the wind-up.

"Hey, ugly demon!"

He heard the witch's call right as white lights surrounded him and whisked him away from the railing, all the way through to a closed-off section of the convention center.

"Don't mind me," Paige Matthews told him, as she shut the door leading to the outside world. "I just thought we'd get a little privacy."

Trex angrily picked himself off the ground. "I can kill you before her, if you insist so much on the matter. Witch!"

"Well, now you're making me feel all special!" Paige said, as she tossed a potion jar at him.

Trex just laughed as he moved in a blur, and was completely out of the way when the jar hit the wall instead of him. He was then next to Paige, in the blink of an eye. "I got a little upgrade before I came back…surprise!" He smacked the most recently activated Charmed One hard in the face, sending her to the ground.

"What, no jokes now?" the demon demanded, as he kicked her in the gut. "You know what sucks about this?" Trex asked her motionless form. "Here, you aren't even one of them yet…no glory for killing…"

Paige didn't wait for him to finish. "Billie, now!"

"What?" Trex growled as Paige vanished from his feet, and a potion jar nailed him in the back.

"AHHH!" he yelled, as the explosion knocked him down to the ground. "Damn witch bitch! What did you do that for?"

"That should have killed you," Billie said in confusion, not understanding. "Why didn't that kill him?" she then demanded of the newly-appeared standing Paige next to her.

"You want to know why, little girl?" Trex yelled. He then pulled out some sort of knife, and threw it at the Charmed One.

Paige reacted on instinct. "Athame!"

The weapon disappeared and then reappeared in her hand. Unfortunately, Trex had been counting on that; as he blurred incredibly fast again and shoved the distracted Paige face-first into the concrete wall, and grabbed Billie by the neck.

"It's because I'm not like those other idiot demons out there, witch. I know what's written in that Book of yours about my kind!" He started to choke the young blonde. "Do you think I would ever dare face the Charmed Ones without preparation?"

"Well…I guess not," Billie was able to choke out, as Trex squeezed her throat. "But…you know what, dickhead?"

"What's that, Dead Girl Walking?" the demon demanded, as it throttled her even harder.

"Surprise!" Billie spat out, as Trex saw something magically appear in her hand.

"NOOO!" the Hispanic-looking demon yelled, as he quickly dropped her in fear. "This isn't - you, you can't wield that! No one can, save its owner!"

"I can if I have his permission!" Billie told him with spite, as the weapon almost thrust itself into the demon. As he fell from the blow of it piercing his body, she added, "And hey, you trying to kill his wife kind of pissed him off enough to do it!"

"Damn you, bitch!" Trex yelled, before he literally exploded in hellfire. Leaving nothing but a scorch mark behind on the ground.

"Now THAT felt good!" Billie told herself, as she moved to help Paige.

"Nice job," the female part-witch, part-whitelighter told her companion as she got up.

Billie just shrugged. "I have a good teacher."

The older woman gave her a small smile at the compliment before asking, "He actually let you take that?"

Billie looked back to the weapon in her hand, before it vanished. "Well, you were helping Leo with Piper…"

"Leave it to Xander to always stack the deck in his favor," Paige mused, yet with a slight smirk at the man's deviousness.

---

**Halliwell Manor Kitchen, San Francisco, California.**

The same time 

Piper was getting ready to head out the door, when she saw the letter for her lying next to her car keys. "Damn it..."

The middle sister just tossed the letter into the trash, unopened. "That guy just won't take a hint, will he?" she asked herself with a sigh. But in the back of her mind, the Charmed One knew that Dr. Williamson would have to be talked to, and she had no idea how to go about it.

"Yeah, my angel boyfriend saved me, so no need for any of your lame-ass tests…" she sarcastically told herself. "Oh yeah, that'll work just fine!"

---

**Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California.**

**2:23 p.m.**

Paige looked around nervously. Billie had said she was just going to go to the bathroom, and it had been too long. She had been watching her older half-sister (well, technically) signing autographs on the promo pics and action figure boxes, and lost track of time...

"Paige!"

The woman from the future turned to see the young blond coming up with a shopping bag. "I thought you went to the bathroom?"

"I did," Billie told her. "But I also bought these!"

Paige looked at the large rolled Operation Overlord promo posters. "Cordy still has a few of those..."

"I know," Billie told her mentor. "But the unrolled ones are going for just about 200 bucks on ebay!"

Paige grimaced. "Just don't tell Xander you did that, okay? You know how he gets about the time travel stuff-"

"We vanquished the demon that tried to kill his pregnant wife," Billie smiled. "I'll think just this once he'll go easy on me, don't you?"

"Fine!" Paige said, as she tilted her head to an unpopulated area. "Let's just find a quiet spot and get back to the future."

And before too long, the two witches did just that.

---

**Stonington Federal Prison, California.**

**Tuesday, April 24th 2001**

"Do you have to have that on so loud?" Charles Chase, convicted tax cheat and prison inmate, demanded of his companion that night.

"Screw you, Chase!" the large man said in annoyance, as Charles's cellmate turned up the small TV's volume a little louder. "You should know by now not to interrupt me, when I'm watching the goddamn wrestling!"

Charles was about to complain again, when he stopped dead upon seeing something on the screen.

---

**Wrestle Mania XVII, Los Angeles, California.**

**The same time**

Announcer Jim Ross talked over shots of the massive crowd. "We're back live in sunny Los Angeles, for Wrestle Mania Seventeen!"

The camera quickly showed the game logo, "And let's not forget, ladies and gentlemen, we have a new sponsor tonight in Tomb Raider: Operation Overlord!"

A cameraman showed a young couple in the front row, as Jim finished up, "So with us this evening is the star herself of the action-packed game - Cordelia Halliwell!"

---

**Stonington Federal Prison, California.**

**The same time**

Charles got up, and could only stare as his adopted daughter stood there amongst the cheering fans, waving to the nation live on TV. That idiot Harris boy standing right next to her was a bit of a surprise, but then Xander was far from the older man's immediate concerns.

"Halliwell?"

----

**Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles, California.**

Wednesday April 25th 2001 

"He…hello?" Winston Egbert said groggily into his cell phone, half awake.

#Hey, man!# Manny spoke. #Where the hell did you disappear to last night?#

But before the guy could answer, Faith grabbed the cell phone from his hand. "Look, whoever this is - our new boy toy is going to be busy for a while, comprende? So he'll call ya back, okay?" The Slayer then instantly disconnected, and tossed the phone onto the chair where Winston's pants were.

"Will you guys keep it down a little?" Kennedy said, as she popped her head out from beneath the covers.

Faith shrugged, "Sorry, girl friend…" Then she looked back at Winston, in the same way the ancient Greeks would look at a sacrificial bullock. "All right, stud - last night, you proved that you've got stamina. Now…let's see if you've also got an imagination…"

TBC…


	9. Chapter 8

AN: This chapter was a long one at 60 pages. It has the Charmed eps Apocalypse, Not & Be Careful What You Witch For. Also I fudged the Charmed timeline and had a season 5 ep 'Magic Wears A Mask' happen in mid season two instead.

----

**Chapter Eight**

**P3 club, San Francisco, California.**

**Friday, May 4th 2001**

**7:29 p.m.**

Tucked away on the couch within their little alcove, the Charmed Ones were dressed to kill - and were watching the crowd dance the night away.

"Look at them all," Cordelia Halliwell said with a nod to the crowd. "They'll all live to dance another day, and what do we get? Bupkus! We saved the whole friggin' world. The least we should get is a thank you, you know..."

"Ladies," Leo said casually, as he came over from the bar.

"Hey, Leo!" Cordy said sweetly.

"I know this has been hard on all of you..." the whitelighter started to say.

Cordelia nodded at once. "Yeah, well, we sort of made it hard on you too."

Piper quickly added, "Leo, it's just..."

"It's okay, Piper," he told his girlfriend. "We were all just doing our job."

"Job?" Cordelia repeated, amused. "Okay, monsieur master of understatement, is there anything else?"

"No," Leo replied with a headshake. "But you should know that I was just at a meeting with them, and the Elders told me that it was your act of complete selflessness that stopped the Source's plan from going forward."

Prue looked up. "So the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were destroyed, because Piper and Cordelia were willing to sacrifice me?"

Leo nodded to the eldest sister. "The Horsemen's bosses said that it was a sign that there were still too much good in the world, to make the apocalypse successful."

"So are they giving up?" Piper asked, hopeful.

"No, in fact they'll probably try even harder from now on."

"Great!" the middle sister sighed.

"Do you wanna have a drink with us, Leo?" Cordelia offered, as she moved to make room on the couch.

"No, you need time together." The decades-old guardian angel looked at all of them. "Just you three." With one last look to Piper he told her, "I'll see you..."

Prue mused over the day's events, as Leo quickly joined the crowd. "You know, you two faced an incredibly hard thing and, um, you made the right decision. Through your own free will."

Cordelia curled up to her big sister. "I am so, so, SO sorry, Prue!" Then she frowned, remembering how one of the Horsemen had tried to hit on her at the manor - before she'd put the jerk back in his place, by telling him she already had a boyfriend. And that the asshole didn't even come up to the soles of Xander's feet...

"So am I," Piper said as well.

"There's no apologies necessary," Prue said firmly. "Like Leo said, you were just doing your jobs, and I just have to deal with that. It was either me, or the world..."

At that moment Ronnie, one of the bartenders, came up holding the book Cordelia had bought the day before. "Everyone has to vote on this!" He opened to the saved page and ethics question. "What if a building was on fire? Do you save five strangers, or one sibling?"

All three Charmed Ones looked up at him with a smile. "Five strangers," they all said at once.

---

**The other end of the club.**

**A few minutes later**

Leo walked over to find his other charge, Xander Harris, clearing off a few empty tables. "So, this is where you've been hiding?"

"Don't know if I'd use the word 'hiding', old buddy," Xander replied, as he dropped some rubbish into a bin. "And until we hire someone to replace Mike, guess I'm Overtime Boy here. Oh well, at least nothing major has been happening the last few days..."

Leo's eyes went wide. "The sisters didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Xander asked absently, as he moved toward another table. "Haven't seen the girls all day, since I was only home long enough for a shower this morning-"

"Xander? Prue, Piper and Cordelia stopped the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from eventually destroying the world."

"Say what!" Xander jerked his head up.

"Well, first they had to call a truce to get Prue and War back..." Leo started, as Xander stared open-mouthed at him. "Ah, long story short, Prue got shifted to another dimension, I went undercover at the Horsemen's base, and since the girls were willing to sacrifice their sister for the world...the Source killed the Horsemen he'd created, as a penalty for failure."

"So, no apocalypse?" Xander asked, going for the bottom line in a very Giles-like manner.

"No apocalypse," Leo replied.

"Well, that's of the good," Harris said with a sigh, as he sat down at the table he'd been cleaning.

But Leo Wyatt could tell something was wrong with his young friend. "Why would that be depressing?"

Xander looked up, "Don't get me wrong, man...hey, I really don't want the world to end..."

"But?" Leo prompted, as he sat down himself.

"But..." Xander sighed again. "What is that now? Four end-of-the-world scenarios that have happened that I didn't even know about, till they were over?"

"Well, you were working on every occasion," the whitelighter replied. "And don't think your contribution doesn't count - I mean, someone has to keep the club going in order to bring in the money for that household..."

"I know," Xander said simply. "Guess I just hate being out of the loop, is all."

"You haven't exactly been on the sidelines this entire time, if that's what you're thinking," Leo pointed out. "It's just that some things need the Charmed Ones-"

"And not the former carpenter," Xander said wistfully, as he leaned back. "I know, dude. It's the Charmed Ones after all, not the Charmed Ones and their boyfriends."

"This isn't about what happened in Sunnydale back then, is it?" Leo asked, recalling past talks.

"Oh, heck no," Xander replied quickly. "And I don't think they're going to start sending me on any life-or-death donut missions, or anything like that..."

The young man smiled a little, to take the sting of past bitterness out of his words. "It's just - I guess I knew it was going to happen, sooner or later. That I would end up being the normal one, amongst all the supernaturals."

Leo cocked his head. "And this bothers you?"

"It's not that, Leo - look, back in Sunnydale, Cordy would usually hide behind me when we went out to patrol - if it ever got too nasty. But now, she's one of the superhero pros! And I don't mean to sound sexist here, but have you looked through the history of the Warren family line? I can count the number of guys mentioned in it, on one hand even! It kinda seems like it gets to a point where...we're there just for making more baby girls to pass the legacy onto, and that's pretty much it..."

"There have been a disproportionately large number of females in Melinda Warren's lineage," Leo conceded. "But that doesn't mean every guy was just a stay-at-home dad, while mom went off to kill all the demons-"

"Well, in case you were wondering, I don't feel like the Zeppo here," Xander said. "Cordy's made it very clear she doesn't think that way, anyhow. But back in Sunnydale, I didn't have any powers - and too often for my liking, I was pushed to the rear 'for my own good'. And the demons here now in San Francisco are getting stronger and stronger. Can't help wondering, how long till I don't know where the hell I fit in again?"

"Everyone wants to have a purpose in life," Leo replied, wishing he could tell his friend and protégé about the special destiny that he supposedly had. And wondering when - or even if - Xander would enter the ranks of the whitelighter corps. "But if you ask me, and you did, I think I know one person who knows what your purpose is."

The man looked through the club, to see the three sisters talking on the couch. "And for sure, I'm not the only one who sees her eyes instantly light up whenever you're around..."

Xander looked in that direction as well, and saw Cordelia talking to Prue. When the former Chase girl saw him watching her, the youngest Charmed One gave her significant other a light wave along with a big smile. After Xander returned the wave and smile, Cordy went back to talking with her sister.

"You know," Leo said as he patted Harris on the back. "Everyone looks for the big, grand reason they exist in this world. To save the planet from destruction, or cure AIDS, or end world hunger, or fly to Mars...not everyone sees the smallest but best reasons of all."

"And they would be...?"

"They all come back to love, Xander. It's what makes the world go round, after all."

---

**Halliwell Manor, San Francisco, California.**

**Saturday, May 5th 2001**

Cordelia sat on her bed, with soft music playing. A stack of old photos surrounded her, with a large book with blank pages sitting nearby. "And if we just cut him out..." the brunette said to herself, as she started to remove the image of Charles Chase from a photo.

"So, this is what you've been doing ever since we came home?" Prue commented, as she came in through the open door.

"Well, I didn't have one," Cordelia said, pointing to the book.

"Yes you did-?" Prue asked, confused, as she held up the leather-bound book with the title 'Cordelia Chase Baby Book'.

"If you look at that book," Cordelia said, then briefly paused. "Well, it looks like I'm an expensive art object or something!"

She shivered a little. "There was an almost identical one, for my adopted father's Lamborghini! When I saw yours and Piper's, where our mom and dad put so much into it by hand...and then I looked back where my adopted mother didn't even do it herself? I can just tell that so many of those pictures are just poses, she never changed my diapers like in those photos..."

"I see..." Prue commented. "But there were some happy times, weren't there?" She looked at a few photos. "See, isn't that Xander here?"

"No, that's Percy West, I think," Cordy said, as she looked at the photo from her fifth birthday. "And God - that guy was a complete jerk, before he underwent a personality transplant towards the end of senior year!"

"Wait a minute," Prue said, as she noticed something odd about the book Cordelia was creating. "How come there's no name on these?"

"I guess I'm just in one of those moods," Cordelia responded. "Prue - I was born Phoebe Halliwell, not Cordelia Chase. I just don't know if I should put both names on there, or just one."

"For me, that's easy," Prue told her. "You may have been born Phoebe, but you became and are still Cordelia." She added as a tease, "That is what Xander constantly screams out loud at nights, after all!"

"Oh, shut up!" Cordelia laughed, as she tossed a small pillow at her sister.

"Just saying what I've been hearing, ever since February," Prue giggled back.

"Oh, like I never hear anything coming from your bedroom?" Cordelia grinned. "Oh, Johnny!" the youngest Charmed one imitated in a falsetto tone, referring to Prue's most recent boyfriend.

"Well..." Prue shrugged, then she threw the pillow back from whence it came.

"But seriously," Cordelia said, deciding to change the subject. "I've been wondering a lot lately, what it would be like to be Phoebe."

"Really?" Prue asked. "But how would it be any different? I mean, you're still you, no matter what name you use."

"I know, but I just want to see what it's like," Cordy said, before she grinned. "And I also wanna see how Xander takes it, being forced to call me another girl's name..."

---

**House of Soul Nightclub, San Francisco, California.**

**The same time**

"Have either of you seen him yet?" Lt. Briony Branca asked the two other cops at her table.

"Can't say that I have," Darryl Morris replied.

Inspector Kate Lockley shook her head as well. "Don't know if I really want to, either. I mean, the flying thing sounds cool, but with all the stuff I've seen over the years...I can't help it, I just don't care much for people who try to operate above the law!"

The redheaded lieutenant nodded. "I know what you mean. For every criminal we catch...we have to go to court, even on traffic offences. Then this Nightman character drops off a guy he says is a serial killer, and we're supposed to just send him off to the gas chamber on that man's say-so?"

"Still hung up on that flying guy, Lieutenant?" Johnny Domino asked, as he walked up to their booth.

"This is real life, Johnny," Briony told her friend. "We don't need a guy with a comic book fetish messing up the status quo around here!"

"Well," Johnny shrugged. "I'll save my reviews till I see him in action..." The blond man that was Prue's new boyfriend looked around, and saw his friend Raleigh Jordan waving him over. "Ah, sorry, but looks like work beckons-"

Minutes later when Johnny had entered the back room with his friend, he asked, "What's up?"

Raleigh turned to the TV set. "A big fire down at the docks. The reporters interviewed a..." he made quotation marks with his fingers. "...'drunk' man, who claims he saw a guy with fire shooting out of his hands."

"Damn!" Johnny swore. "You think it's another guy like me?"

"I don't know many other people who just happen to have powers like that," Raleigh responded.

"And not many demons we've seen look completely human either," Johnny finished up, as he went to grab his Nightman outfit from its hiding place.

---

**Somewhere in the desert, southern California.**

**Sunday, May 6th 2001**

The Knights and Clerics of the Order watched, as the young male exited the car. "You are the healer?" one of the Knights of Byzantium demanded.

"I guess so..." the intern named Ben said, with a little uncertainty from eyeing the many swords visible.

"Heal that heathen in there, and then attend to our General's needs," Dante ordered him.

"General?" the guy asked. "Okay..." Ben said simply, as he walked through the busted door to the abandoned gas station.

As they watched the energy shield reform behind the young doctor, one of the clerics grinned. "Our spell must have worked!"

"So it would seem," Dante replied, as he put his sword back in its sheath. "Had they been able to call for that child healer of the witches, then all would have been lost..."

---

A bit later inside the old building Ben stood next to Giles, tending to his wound, wearing surgical gloves. Buffy stood beside him, her Watcher's injuries weighing heavy on her mind. "Is he going to be okay?"

Ben cleaned up some dried blood from Giles' chest. "Buffy, he needs to get to a hospital. I've done what I can, but I don't think he'll last for much longer without surgery..." As the young doctor took off his gloves, he looked directly towards the Slayer. "You, uh, forgot to mention the costume party outside?"

Buffy looked down. "Sorry. I-I didn't know who else to call..." She briefly looked over to see Joyce comforting Dawn in the corner. (Oh, God, what am I gonna do now?)

"No, it's okay," Ben replied, trying to play it off. "I mean, yeah, not...how I pictured seeing you again, but, uh...I'll take what I can get."

---

**Halliwell Manor Basement, San Francisco, California.**

**The same time**

"You want me to call you what?" Xander asked, thinking he had heard his girlfriend wrong.

"Phoebe. Phoebe Halliwell," Cordelia said, as she did a side kick at the worn practice dummy.

"And, why should I do that?" the dark-haired guy asked, holding her water and towel.

"Just humor me, please..." Harris's beloved said, before she launched several blows on the dummy's upper body.

"Sorry Cor, but it sounds kind of stupid-" Xander said, before Cordy spun on him in her attack pose and launched a kick at his head...that stopped just before touching him.

"Well, now you're just showing off," Xander smirked, as her foot pulled back. "You know, if you could help me with my moves like that..."

"Sorry, honey," Cordy said, cutting him off and grabbing the towel from him. "But we were told in class not to teach others. I even got in trouble for showing a kick like that, to a guy who missed a class!"

Xander shook his head. "Maybe I should just join up, or something-"

"Really?" Cordelia's head snapped up. "That would be so great!" Unfortunately, her face fell at that point. "But we wouldn't be in the same class...you'd be in with the newbies."

"Wouldn't the demon fighting thing for the last five years let me skip ahead a little?" Harris asked, somewhat sarcastically.

"Nope," Cordelia told him, as they walked up the stairs to the kitchen. "But anyway, I do want you to start calling me Phoebe. At least for a little while, okay?"

Xander stopped to think it over, at the top of the stairs. "Hmm, well, I suppose I can do that - for the woman who helped stop the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and all..."

Despite her boyfriend's joking manner, Cordelia cringed at the reference. She turned around and said, "Um...have I mentioned how sorry I am that I didn't tell you about all that, before now?"

"It's okay," Xander told her simply, as they went into the kitchen and placed her water bottle into the dishwasher. "I've lived with hot girls saving the world for a long time now. My ego isn't tender-"

"I know that," Cordelia said. "But I just don't want you to feel left out, alright? While we saved the world, you kept working double shifts at the club to keep the lights on around here." She kissed him on the cheek. "You're my superhero, sweetheart."

Xander tried not to blush. This was the one thing that he knew Willow still couldn't believe about Cordelia; that she could show kindness. And now with this new life that she had, his girl had almost lost the Queen C mindset completely...

At least, until she met someone that she didn't like. "It's nothing much, 'Phoebe'. I just run the bar-"

"And balance the books, and keep the bands and their managers happy whenever Piper has to run off and help us vanquish something," Cordelia told him. "And you know what? When I went shopping with Prue and Piper the other day, before all the fun began...I got you a little reward for all your efforts."

As expected, Xander Harris instantly got a very big grin. "Oh you did, now, did you?"

"Uh-huh," Ms. Halliwell grinned. "You know that poster of the Black Cat you just got?"

"The one you won't let me put up anywhere, even in my old bedroom?" Xander teased.

"That's the one," Cordy joked. "Well, I found this great costume shop...and they even had the white fur and wig!"

As Xander's eyes briefly glazed over, Cordy laughed to herself - and thanked God there were thousands of comic book babes out there, whose costumes she could surprise her boyfriend with.

---

**Stonington Federal Prison, California.**

**The same time**

Charles Chase looked through the few websites set up for his adopted daughter. He had very little contact now with his ex-wife; for even when it had been her idea to not pay the damn taxes in the first place, she'd gotten off almost scot-free...

The middle-aged man had assumed that after graduation Cordelia had left Sunnydale with her mother, but now when he used the prison's library resources to look for his ex-wife - he had found nothing about their little girl. Just some stuff about Alexis Baker - who, having gone back to using her maiden name, was trying to become a well-to-do woman in LA.

That had seemed to be the most logical place to find Cordelia being a model for a videogame, but no such luck. And as he'd guessed, the videogame website gave only a brief bio on Cordelia 'Halliwell'.

Basically, that she lived with her boyfriend and two sisters in San Francisco. And all that the fan websites showed were pictures of her game character, and talk of her getting a limited comic book deal so her character could interact with the better-known Lara Croft.

Charles had found a few convention photos as well. They showed Cordelia signing autographs, and boxes of her new action figures. One had her with that Harris boy, signing a large box that held the complete set of her action figures bought by her male companion. The fan who had taken the photo called Harris 'one lucky bastard', as Cordelia kissed him on the cheek...

The only thing he noticed out of place was a short, young, blond girl watching them in the background of one of the pictures.

"So, what they're saying is true?" a voice asked from behind him. "That model is your daughter?"

Charles looked up to see Marvin Tresa looking over his shoulder, one of the few friends he had in this prison. "Seems like she's making a name for herself. Doesn't surprise me, really..." Mr. Chase responded as a proud father. "I just don't get all this stuff about her having sisters, or having a new last name-"

"It's not your ex-wife's maiden name?" his friend asked.

"No," Charles said simply. "It has to be her birth family, but Lord only knows how she found them. Except for a brief attempt back after she was found...no one ever looked for them, she just became Cordelia Chase."

"You going to try and contact her?" Marvin asked, as he sat down next to his friend.

Charles shrugged with a heavy sigh. "I want to...but Marvin, I'm not even sure what to say to her. God knows I wasn't exactly the best father in the world, to my little girl! Keeping my businesses going took so much time and effort, I know she felt abandoned...hell, I'm sure that's why she started dating that lowlife Xander Harris! Just to piss me off. To get me to notice her."

"Tell you what, Charles," Tresa said. "When our time here is up in a month, I have some friends I'd like to introduce you to. Maybe if you can rebuild your life a bit before you see her, it'll go better when you two finally catch up."

Charles thought about it for a moment. "What friends?"

"A friend from college contacted me last week, his company went public and they need good executives fast to keep the riffraff in line. And as a favor to me, I'm sure they won't ask you too many questions - about what you've been doing for the last two years," Marvin responded.

Charles appeared to consider it. And a little while later, Marvin went to see a friend in the visitor area.

"Is it done?" the older man in the suit immediately asked him.

"Yes, sir," Marvin answered. "He's agreed to join the company, upon our release."

"Very good," the older man responded, with a hint of glee. "To find the father of one of the Charmed Ones in jail..."

"With all due respect, sir," Marvin said. "He is only her adopted father. The witch knows her true ancestry now."

"Possibly, that will just make it easier," the suited man thought. "When he finds out our true purpose, he might be less inclined to hinder our efforts."

"If he tries to stop us - I'll kill him myself, sir," Marvin said, deadly serious. "Our holy quest cannot afford to be stopped-"

"No, indeed it cannot," his superior responded. "The 'Charmed Ones' prophecy has come true, after all this time. The great evil is finally among us. If they were to create even more of their witch spawn..." He shuddered. "No. When the time is right, we strike and kill anything alive in that house, before burning it down and salting the earth."

"What if they already have children by then?" Marvin asked. "Charles mentioned that Cordelia is living in the same house as her boyfriend from high school. And if he truly is the "Judged One" mentioned in the prophecy, he could easily sire a child upon her, before we're ready to storm the place - for all we know, she could be pregnant right now-"

The man in the dark suit stood to leave, but before he did so he said, "Have faith in the rightness of our cause. And keep in mind the Devil always hides its worst horrors in pleasant forms, brother."

---

**Halliwell Manor, San Francisco, California.**

**A few minutes later**

Xander was helping Leo move some furniture around in the sitting room when he asked, "Why do we even bother having anything nice down here?"

"What do you mean?" Leo asked.

"Well, look at this," Xander picked up a very old black and white photo of a Warren woman from 100 years ago. "I doubt we can replace even half of these old family photos...we keep fixing that grandfather clock so often, that the guy at the store knows us by name...hell, so many windows around here have been destroyed, the insurance guy wants to investigate us for fraud!"

Leo nodded in understanding. "So that's why you and Cordy didn't get that plasma TV?"

"Best Buy doesn't really cover demon-tossed energy balls in their money-back guarantees," Xander said, just before his cell phone rang. "Hello?" he then said into the phone.

Then Xander's eyes went wide in alarm. "Whoa, calm down Mrs. S! Now...who took little Dawnie?"

---

**Maple Court, Sunnydale, California.**

**Fifteen minutes later**

Spike ground his cigarette underneath his boot, as the group drove up to the Magic Box. For Xander had loaded everyone into the Hemi Cuda and then Leo had orbed the car to the outskirts of Sunnydale, in case they needed the vehicle to get away fast. "About time you wankers showed up!"

"Nice to see you too, Spike," Cordelia growled at the vampire, as she got out of Xander's Cuda. She looked to her boyfriend, "I can charbroil him, right?"

Xander shook his head. "It's your turn to play nice with a vampire. We save Dawn and stop Glory, then you can just roast his undead ass already-"

"Like you even could," Spike replied with a malevolent sneer.

"Wait, we're working with a demon?" Leo asked, unsure.

"I think the world about to end might let you bend the rules a bit, honey," Piper told him as they walked into the store.

"Xander?" Willow asked in surprise, as they came in. "I didn't know you were coming-"

"I called him," Joyce Summers said sharply. "I am not losing either of my daughters!"

"I thought it was just Dawn who was in trouble?" Prue asked, as they took seats around the lighted table.

"She is," Giles said weakly from his seat. "Glory has her, however - Buffy has reacted very badly to that."

"She, she's in a coma or something," Tara told her fellow witches.

"Is Jesse with her?" Xander asked, as he saw the bandages on the Englishman's skin.

"We haven't been able...to contact him..." Giles winced out.

"Not good," Xander sighed. "Okay, Leo - heal Giles here, and then head upstairs to get Jesse..."

"Right," Leo replied, as he moved over to the wounded Watcher. "Keep still," he told the British man, before his healing hands went to work.

"Oh..." Giles said with suddenly renewed strength. "Thank you."

"Anytime," Leo replied, before he orbed up to the higher plane of existence.

"Now then, let's-" Xander started to say before he was cut off by Spike.

"Just who do you think you are, mate!" he demanded. "You and yer women come prancin' into town, and start givin' us orders? Sod that - you're not in charge 'ere!"

"Oh, please!" Xander sighed. "All right then, what's your master plan - Overbite?"

Spike growled at the insult, but swaggered a little. "We wake the Slayer up, and then go beat the crap out of that Glory bint! Then when I save the Little Bit..."

"Buffy swoons all over you?" Joyce demanded hotly of the vampire. "Get this through your head once and for all, Spike; my daughter is not that damned mechanical sex toy, that you decided to create in her image!"

William the Bloody cringed a little at that, as the new arrivals looked at him in surprise and/or disgust; and he understood how Joyce had now lost all traces of friendliness towards him, ever since his feelings towards Buffy had become known to her.

After all, she had gotten rid of Angel for Buffy to have a future with someone human, who could give her children and a life beyond the Slayage; and the British vamp knew, deep down, the parental unit would never tolerate his presence in Buffy's personal affairs.

Still, without a soul, it wasn't like that would prevent Spike from chasing after Buffy anyway...

"Joyce," the now-recovered Giles said softly, as he put a hand on her shoulder. "We're wasting time."

The oldest Summers woman nodded, but cast one quick last glare at the vampire. "Sorry, Rupert. You're right, we can deal with all that afterwards-"

"Ah..." Piper spoke up. "Just outta interest, how do we wake up your daughter? Is she under some sort of spell?"

"No," Willow told her. "She's retreated into herself, she thinks she failed her sister. I'm getting ready to go into her mind-"

"You are?" Xander asked, worried. "Willow, that sounds kind of dangerous..."

"I can do it!" Willow said, a little too loud. "This is my job, since Tara isn't exactly up to this right now!"

Prue ignored the outburst that annoyance and stress had caused. "Maybe we should cast the spell?"

Willow looked hurt. "She's my best friend, I won't just abandon her - like some people," she said with mean look towards Xander.

"Look," Prue pressed, ignoring Cordy's frown and Xander's wince. "This isn't about who's the better witch, or poaching on someone's territory! We have more power to ensure that it's cast correctly...but you know her better, she's your friend. That's why you should go into her mind, and pull her out."

"Fine," Willow said in a huff. "Come on, she's in the back room..."

"Nice to see Will's getting along fine with us being here," Xander said with another deep sigh.

"I'm sure she just wants to prove herself," Joyce told him, although the middle-aged woman looked worried too.

"She shouldn't have to," Xander commented.

Tara nodded, speaking up, "She thinks she does, anyway."

---

**Downtown construction site, Sunnydale.**

**A short while later**

Glory was looking out the window, as the now-mindless crazy people kept working on the tower. The noise was starting to get to her, when the hellgod heard something from behind her.

"Ushering in the long and bloody reign of the great..." the demon priest was chanting, as he put a symbol on Dawn's forehead. The young teenage girl was trembling in fear.

"What are you doing!" the blond, slightly unhinged, but nonetheless babe of a goddess suddenly demanded.

"I must anoint the Key," the demon responded.

"No, you really don't," Glory ordered him. "Go."

The priest looked confused. "But the time is near..."

Glory just looked at him in fury. "Out! Get out, get out!"

The demon quickly left while he could, while Glory looked out the window next to Dawn. Motioning to the crazy people outside she said, "You know...you recapture your godhood and unleash Armageddon..." The hellgod wiped off the stuff on Dawn's forehead. "All of a sudden, everybody wants to be a part of the inner circle!"

As the god tossed the cloth away, she looked directly at the scared child. "You okay?"

Dawn tried not to sound like a scared little girl, trying to think of how Buffy would act. "I wanna go home."

"Sweetie..." Glory said, before she grabbed a chair and sat across from Dawn. "You're about to."

Those words gave Ms. Summers some hope, but it was quickly killed off as Glory went on, "Not that fake suburban nightmare those monks cooked up for you. I mean, your real home!"

Glory remained unmoved by Dawn's new tears at that revelation. "As the Key! You fit the lock. Well, it's like a lock. Hey!" she wondered for a moment. "You want a pizza?" Glorificus then asked, if nothing important was going on.

"No," Dawn said softly.

"Pillow?" the hellgod asked, as she looked around. "I don't know if this place has got cable. Doubtful-"

"Please. Stop," Dawn pleaded.

"You nervous?" Glory asked, still acting as if nothing important was happening today.

"Yes," the young girl said through the tears.

"I know how you feel," Glory told her honestly. "It is your last night."

Dawn's eyes went wide at that, as Glory kept going, "As, you know...a human." She picked up Dawn's hand by the wrist, and shook it around. "This body...it's just a rental, Dawnie. Being human? It's like a costume, for girls like you and me. Being something else, that's what we truly are."

"Don't."

"Don't what?" the hellgod asked.

Dawn looked at her enemy as firmly as she could. "Don't call me Dawnie."

Glory let out a surprised laugh, and let go of Dawn's hands. "Huh. Wow. You know, that actually hurt my feelings."

Dawn just whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Not the point," Glory shrugged. "I'm just thinking, here I am trying to make you feel better, when comforting others...not part of my life. And I'm doing it, so I can stop...feeling so...um..." She snapped her fingers, trying to think of the word. "Help me out here?"

"Guilty?" Dawn asked.

"Guilty!" Glory cried. "That's it!" She laughed, a little. "But I'm not supposed to feel guilty! I'm not supposed to feel anything. I'm, I'm...I'm a god. I'm above it. I'm..." She suddenly looked angrily at the teen. "You!"

Dawn suddenly got very scared, as Glory strode back to her. "You did this to me, didn't you? Some sort of spell, you've been hanging with the wicca, you could've..." The insane creature paused for a moment. "But no. It's not magic. It's something else. Still, it is you doing this-"

Dawn quickly shook her head in fear. "I...I'm not doing anything. I swear!"

And it came to pass that Glory was convinced of that; as she finally corrupted her host Ben into betraying Dawn, and out of fear - joining forces with the bane of his existence.

---

**The Magic Box, Sunnydale, California.**

**Monday, May 7th 2001**

Midnight had come and gone; and after some time and effort, Willow was able to bring Buffy out of her...well, her own head.

The two wouldn't discuss the topic of what had happened during that time, but the Slayer was truly happy to see the Charmed Ones present; as that meant the entire thing didn't just depend on her, now.

Things did briefly go downhill when Giles mentioned that they might have to kill Dawn to save the world, as an ultimate last resort. Buffy and Joyce both looked at him with great anger for that, but to his credit the Brit stuck to his guns; and said it was an option that, however horribly cold-blooded, they could not afford to just simply dismiss. Given how over six billion lives were on the line, here.

Xander got some dirty looks as well when he suggested killing Ben, Glory's human vessel, after he learned the situation. Giles rejected it because the upcoming event was too close, and Glory almost certainly wouldn't revert back to him anytime soon. But Buffy didn't exactly relish that choice, as she was obviously feeling conflicted about the young doctor; and that was something Spike didn't like at all.

It was interesting to note, as well, how the two whitelighters arrived the same time as Anya and Jonathan came to the shop. The young lovers wouldn't say what had occupied them while the world was about to end, but Xander for one didn't need explanations.

"Hey, Jonathan. Been a few years," the one-time Zeppo said to the would-have-been member of the Trio, after dragging him outside of the Magic Box for a moment.

Levinson looked around. "Yeah, I guess. Is, is there something you wanted to say to me?" the short guy semi-babbled.

Xander paused. "Well, y'know. You, uh, you seem to have sorta taken my place here. I mean, from what I've been told by Giles over the last few months, you like looking after Buffy and Willow now?"

Jonathan briefly blushed. "Well, I bump into them a lot, given how Anya works with Mr. Giles here at the Magic Box-"

"Yeah, about that...apparently she was all hot for me for a while there, then that girl suddenly decides you're the one for her? How'd that happen, if you don't mind my asking?"

"It was just love at first sight, I guess," the guy said with a slight grin.

Xander nodded once. "Look, Jonathan. We were never what you'd call close in high school...but we did talk a few times. Hell, we probably shoulda inducted you into the Scooby gang years ago-"

"Is, is there a hazing ritual involved with that?" Levinson asked uncertainly. "'Cause, you remember that time with the swim team at the beach that night..."

"No ritual, no secret decoder ring, nothing like that," Harris said, trying to keep his patience. "Look, dude. What I'm trying to say is - Giles, Dawn, Joyce, Buffy and Willow are still family to me, even if we don't always get along and I don't see them too often now. I guess I just wanna say thanks for being there, and if you ever need me for anything in San Francisco, Giles and Joyce have my number. You know what I'm saying?"

This time, the Sunnydalian nodded. "Yeah. So, you and Cordelia, huh?"

Xander shrugged. "I love her, Jonathan. I nearly lost her two years ago, but thank God it didn't work out that way-"

"Otherwise, you'd be the one dating Anya right now?" the younger man interrupted, with a suddenly sick look on his face. (And you'd be the one sharing all those orgasms with her at nights!)

"Whatever," Harris dismissed that, as they both went back inside the magic shop.

"So we have this hammer and sphere that can hurt her," Buffy said, after Xander and Jonathan rejoined the group. "And five super-witches, one Slayer, a robot, and a vampire-"

"And us too," Xander spoke up - gesturing to Giles, Joyce, Anya and Jonathan.

Buffy shook her head. "I know this has been a sore spot between us in the past, Xander, but please! We can't afford any mistakes tonight."

"Yeah, mate," Spike said sarcastically. "I don't think a glorified bricklayer like yerself will be much help on this one!"

"Actually, he helps run our nightclub theses days," Cordy pointed out, upset.

"Fine!" Spike shrugged. "Tell ya what, whelp, you go plan the victory party at the Bronze-"

"Shut up!" Joyce demanded of the vampire. "All of us here are going to do whatever it takes, to make sure my baby girl comes home safely tonight!"

Spike wisely shut his mouth at the sight of a pissed-off mother. Even though it was psychologically impossible for the soulless demon to seriously pay her any heed, when it came to the important things in his existence.

"Do we have a plan, then?" Anya asked. "Come on, people, wanting to stay alive!"

"There's only one way," Buffy declared. "Spike, myself and the 'bot will fight our way to Dawn, while you guys handle her minions-"

"No."

Buffy and Willow stopped in their tracks. "Excuse me?" the Slayer demanded.

"You said it yourself, Buff," Xander said with certainty. "No mistakes on this one. So we need a strategy that has more than one ace up its sleeve, in case something goes wrong with your 'me Slayer, me beat 'em up' scenario."

"Do you have something in mind, Xander?" Giles asked, hopeful as Buffy glared at Harris.

Spike just snorted in amusement, while the Charmed Ones looked at Xander with patient expectancy. "Leo," Xander asked the older whitelighter. "The mind-sucking thing they say Glory does, can you heal that?"

"I...think so," Leo answered with a quick look towards Jesse, who nodded. "The sanity and mind power she took from her victims should be able to be transferred back..."

"Really?" Willow asked excitedly. "You think we could make Glory nuts again?"

"Just what we need," Spike swore. "A crazy hellgod!"

"Don't dismiss it out of hand," Prue reasoned. "If she's off-balance, then we might have a better chance of taking the enemy down with minimum casualties."

"We just have to keep her occupied, then," Piper finished for her sister.

"Doesn't that mean we all line up for her to kill us?" Anya asked, worried.

"No," Xander replied. "If all those brain-sucked people are with her...then we can do them one at a time, while she's fighting us."

"You mean me," Buffy said firmly. "Unless of course, you suddenly turned into Superman in the last few months?"

As soon as the words left Buffy's mouth, both Xander and Prue's eyes lit up. "I can be," Xander replied excitedly, before turning to his former boss. "Leo, go up there as fast as you can - and ask Kevin to help us!"

"You want me to bring an Elder down here? To take part in a fight?" Leo asked, unsure.

"Look, I know that it goes completely against the grain to request this of one of them...but we need that kid's abilities!" Xander pressed. "Tell him, it's a personal favor for me."

"I'll try," Leo said simply, before he orbed out.

"Who's Kevin?" Giles demanded.

"A new Elder," Jesse said. "The sisters helped him stop a demon from getting the power that was his by birthright, not long ago-"

"So, you want us to wear those superhero outfits again?" Cordy demanded. "Xander, you know how that mask did horrible things to my complexion!"

---

**Glory's tower, Sunnydale.**

**Ninety minutes later**

"Nice try!" Glory said sarcastically, as she struggled to smash the Dagon sphere to pieces - and then tossed it into the heap that was the remains of the Buffybot. "Slayer and vampire, working together in perfect harmony...oh, even I think that's wrong!" she then said, as the hellgod grabbed Spike and tossed him into the tower's unstable leg, causing the thing to shake slightly.

Buffy tried to nail her with the troll hammer, but Glory ducked and punched her in the gut. The Slayer sailed away, and soon crashed into the mobile trailer Dawn had previously been held in. "Is that all you have?" Glory taunted.

"No, they were just the first wave - you blond bimbo!" a female voice yelled. Causing Glory to turn, and burst out laughing.

"You have got to be kidding me!" the demented deity laughed. "You're just apes in tights, is all!"

"I think my boyfriend might disagree with that theory," Cordelia said in her Wonder Woman outfit, next to the spandex-covered Prue and Piper, as she gestured upwards.

All Glory's eyes registered was a blue and red blur coming at her with incomprehensible speed, before something grabbed her and launched her across the street into a dumpster. When she crawled herself up from the human waste, Glorificus stopped short of the image in front of her.

Xander Harris floated with his arms crossed, proudly wearing the uniform of the comic superhero named 'Superman'.

---

**A block down the street**

**The same time**

Joyce was helping another person who had just got his sanity back onto a bench. "It's okay, take it easy..."

"Where am I?" the mailman asked. "I was on my route, and then-"

"No time for explanations right now!" Anya told him impatiently. "Just rest and try not to think about dying, okay?"

Joyce looked to Giles. "How many are there left?"

"I don't know how many people she has at the tower itself," Giles said, looking down the road as another loud crash was heard and a body was seen flying. "We just have to keep going and hope it works," the Watcher then told her, as he gave another mumbling person to Jesse to heal.

---

**Glory's tower, Sunnydale, California.**

**The same time**

At the top of the huge tower, Dawn Summers was tied to two posts; looking down helplessly at the battle below between Buffy, Spike and... "The Justice League?"

Something suddenly caught her eye, and Dawnie looked back across the top of the tower. On the other edge of the platform, the demon named Doc was watching her.

"You. You can help me. Untie me. Please. Help me, she's coming!" the Key cried, even though she had never laid eyes on this creature before.

Doc just slowly walked forward. "Well, it seems she's running a bit late, is the thing. And, uh, if her Splendidness can't be here in time to bleed you..."

Dawn instantly backed away as far as she could before the ropes stopped her, realizing this was no friend or neutral with her now. (Oh, God, Buffy...)

"Hey, kid!" Doc winked at her. "Wanna see a trick?"

"No!" Dawn called out horrified, as Doc pulled out a large knife, one like the ceremonial knives Giles once showed her in the Magic Box. "Get away from me!"

"Don't worry, my dear," Doc said with a pleasant smile. "This is what you were created fo-" He suddenly stopped, as the knife was taken out of his hands. The demon angrily turned on the normal-looking man who had taken his knife. "Who the hell are you!"

"The name's Leo Wyatt," the whitelighter said, as he orbed out just as Doc's tongue lunged out at him...and then the guardian angel reappeared next to Dawn. He quickly used the knife to cut her free, the teenage girl instantly trusting the strange man who had apparently come to save her.

"NOOOO!" Doc yelled in fury, as he ran at them full speed...and then fell off the edge of the tower, as the two people disappeared in a blaze of blue-white lights.

----

**A block down the street**

**The same time**

"Mom!" Dawn yelled joyfully, as soon as she and Leo showed up at the camp of the good guys.

"Dawn!" Joyce screamed in joy, as she ran to and hugged her daughter. "Oh, sweetie, I was so scared for you!"

Leo went past them, and took over healing the people from a tired Jesse, "Go tell them she's safe!"

Jesse nodded and orbed out, and oddly enough - no one noticed Rupert Giles sneak off by himself...

---

**Glory's tower, Sunnydale, California.**

**The same time**

The battle was not going well, as far as Glorificus was concerned.

Overconfidence is a terrible thing, and the hellgod was finding that out right at that moment. As instead of Knights or Slayers, she suddenly had to deal with beings that had powers equivalent to her own...

And like Spike had once said in the good old days, 'Now it's four against one, which are the kind of odds I like to play.'

"Batter up!" Prue yelled, as she used her new super-strength and speed to wield the troll hammer like a baseball bat. The blast of the impact knocked Glory end over end, as she flew into a large pile of concrete sewer pipes on the far side of the lot.

The tower shook one last time from the vibrations of her impact, and it started to wobble and fall. The newly-arrived Jesse just quickly got the Charmed Ones, along with Buffy and Spike, to join hands - before he orbed them away to safety.

In the mess of the large pipes, her energy reserves almost completely drained by the loss of so much brainsuck power, the battered hellgod had to retreat back into her human host, Ben. And as blood poured out of his mouth, the intern saw an older man looking down at him. "You..."

"Can you move?" Giles asked in a calm voice.

Ben shook his head weakly. "No...I'm pinned tight. She could've killed me-"

Giles shook his head. "No, she wouldn't have. Not intentionally, at least." He kneeled down to be eye to eye with the man. "And sooner or later Glory will re-emerge, and...make both the Charmed Ones and Buffy pay for that mercy. And the world with them. Buffy knows that, and yet still...she couldn't take a human life, even if it's her own mother and sister's lives on the line..."

He sighed, looking at all the destruction. "That's why they're the heroes, you see. They're not like us."

"Us?" Ben asked with a confused cough, before Giles' hand jumped out - and covered the young doctor's mouth and nose, cutting off his air supply.

Ben tried to force him off, but with his injuries it only took a few moments before his eyes rolled up towards the back of his head. Giles held on just a little longer to be sure, before he finally stood up - looking at the dead body. "Father, forgive me..."

Without another word the Watcher, who had taken a vow to do whatever his Slayer couldn't in this rotten world, uttered a small prayer for Ben's soul. "Heavenly Father, have mercy on his soul, for the devil trapped within was forced upon him..."

Giles turned around, and saw Xander in his Superman uniform watching him. "It had to be done."

"I know," Xander sighed. "Even though I don't think the man who really wears this uniform would agree...but then I know that sometimes, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one." He looked at the body of Ben in silence for a moment, thinking back to when a few nights ago - Prue had almost been sacrificed by her sisters, almost this exact same way.

Then Harris said calmly, "Want to go back to the family reunion?"

---

**1630 Revello Drive, Sunnydale, California.**

**About an hour later**

The white hats had finally gotten all the formerly crazy people back to the hospital, so that their relieved relatives could go and pick them up; and then, the last cleanup task over, they all went back to Buffy's house.

Dawn had stripped out of her gown that Glory had forced her to wear, and quickly changed into her sweats. She had then had Xander use Superman's heat vision to set it ablaze in the back yard, wanting no reminders on what she had been through tonight.

The San Francisco people were more than a little surprised though, when Spike walked right into the Summers home. Meaning that he had an open invitation already, to come and go around here as he pleased. Xander said nothing out loud, but his stare spoke volumes to Buffy and Willow about that; still, they made no excuses for it, and Harris knew he had to be content with this. This was their turf now, after all; not his.

Joyce and Giles assured Cordelia that they would soon remedy all that, anyway. But for the moment young Dawn had a set of heroes, and Spike for some reason was a member of it. Cordy cynically figured that when their little unit left, the vampire would try to take all the credit for saving her; hopefully Dawn wouldn't fall for it, but then with Buffy as a role model, the witch suspected that the apple wouldn't fall far from the tree...

While this was going on Xander, now back to his normal self, was washing up in the bathroom. He leaned down into the sink to toss some cold water onto his face, when he stopped cold. Spinning around in a flash, his eyes darted towards the closed door. The figure he thought he had seen for a split second was gone.

"God, I really do have demons on the brain," Xander scolded himself, when he saw Joyce's black bathrobe hanging on the door.

As soon as the young man left the room, the Source of All Evil shimmered into full existence. He pulled back his dark hood to reveal his half-mutilated face. "Most impressive, Mr. Harris. You shouldn't have been able to do that, though...ah, this means I might have to change my plans..."

---

**Elsewhere in the house.**

**The same time**

Fourteen years old, and a new whitelighter Elder, the former mortal named Kevin stood in front of the group. He ripped up Prue's drawing in a superhero costume, and instantly the magic his unique power gave the oldest sister vanished. "Okay, I think that's everyone-"

"Ah, hello?" Cordelia walked forward, still in her skimpy Wonder Woman outfit. "Not forgetting me, are you?"

"Oh gee...look at the time," the young Elder said in amusement, checking his watch. "Gotta go!"

"Wait!" Cordelia yelled as the Elder orbed out. "What the hell-?"

Xander chose that moment to renter the living room. "What's all the noise?"

"That...that kid left me looking like this!" Cordelia growled.

"Yes, it's time to put her cleavage away," Anya said quickly, after elbowing her peeping boyfriend.

Cordelia just growled at the girl she would still enjoy firebombing into oblivion. "Why would he leave me like...Xander?"

"Yeah, Cordy?" Xander replied, in a neutral tone of voice.

"Don't even try! I saw that smirk!"

"What smirk?" Xander asked.

"YOU TOLD HIM TO DO IT!" Cordelia yelled out in realization.

Xander tried to hide a smile. "No...actually, I kind of paid him."

"WHAT!"

Xander backed up a little at her outburst. "Well, you know how we always do that sorta stuff...uh, for pretend..."

"You wanted to have sex with Wonder Woman?" Prue asked with a laugh. "You are such a GUY!"

"Where is that drawing, Xander?" Cordelia angrily demanded of her boyfriend.

"It's not here-"

"Where is it?" she demanded again.

"I dropped it off at a post office in Montana, not long ago," Xander finally revealed.

"And why did you do that, oh Superman?"

"It's on two-day air transport to the manor..." Xander again backed up towards the wall, when he saw Cordy's face.

"Xander, I'm all for some fun now and then, but this is..." Cordy stopped mid-sentence and broke out in a huge smile. "You know, honey...much as I hate to admit it in public, I have been reading up on comic book women, and I know all about Wonder Woman!"

"You do?" both Xander and Willow said at once.

Cordelia didn't say a word as she unhooked the golden lasso from her side and threw it around Harris. She used it to drag him right next to her. "The lasso makes you have to tell the truth, right?"

All the men in the room, even Spike, cringed at that. (You idiot...) they all thought in unison.

"Now, what did you really think of the meal I cooked for you last weekend?" Cordy demanded.

"Ah..." Xander tried for a moment to fight it, but then blurted out, "Too salty!"

Prue stepped up, amused. "Was it you that broke my vase last week?"

"Yes," Xander said with a grimace and headshake.

"And you blamed it on the cat!" Prue laughed at his squirming. "You are so grounded when we get home, young man!"

Piper buried her head in Leo's shoulder, laughing helplessly. Giles and Joyce took the hint and took Dawn away to the kitchen, despite her protests. As an afterthought, Rupert kindly yanked Spike along as well.

"Okay, okay, as much fun as this was..." Xander started when Cordelia kept it up. "Do you really think my reading glasses make me look cute?"

"More like a sexy librarian, that I want to nail behind the stacks. Damn it!" Xander admitted, his face going red.

"Why, you naughty horn dog you!" Cordelia teased him. "I just might have to spank you for this!"

Anya just watched the show with a frown. (I should have taken Jonathan home before now! I don't need him to listen to Xander and his three witches talk about sex. On account of he'll be thinking of them, when he gives me my orgasms tonight!)

Cordelia stopped laughing at Xander's predicament. "Last one, Harris; now, what did you really plan to do with me in this costume...and, hey! Whisper it to me."

Xander leaned in, and started to whisper in his girlfriend's ear. As he spoke, Cordelia's face got redder and redder; and even Buffy with her super-hearing only heard the words "lasso" and "whipped cream".

Cordelia quickly took the lasso off of Xander, and put it back on her waist. "Keys!"

Xander quickly got the keys for his car out and gave them to her, and then she gave them to Leo. "Take the long way home!" she ordered him, as she dragged Xander out the front door...and then up into the air.

"Ah, Anya honey?" Jonathan asked, as he watched them vanish into the night. "Could we, ah, go back to your place now...?"

---

**Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles, California.**

**Tuesday, May 8th 2001**

Tina smacked Gunn upside the back of his head, after the Fang Gang had arrived back at the hotel that night. "Eyes up here!"

"Hey, come on! You can not blame a guy for checking you out in that outfit," Gunn told his friend.

"What outfit?" Tina growled, indicating her Pylean 'princess' attire. "I mean, I'd get mistaken for a hooker in this neighborhood, if I stayed outside for too long!"

"How's Fred doing?" Wesley asked, as Angel came back downstairs.

The vampire shrugged. "She only came back to Earth less than an hour ago, she's still getting reacquainted with indoor plumbing."

"Hey, guys!" Faith called out. "We have a total of two calls since we've been gone, aren't we the popular people?"

The once-evil Slayer hit play, and Buffy Summers's voice quickly filled the room.

"...Angel, it's me Buffy! Come on, damn it, pick up! This is an emergency!"

Spike's voice also came on, muffled in the background. "Slayer! They're coming...we 'ave to go, now!"

"Angel, if you get this before the world ends-" Buffy tried to say, before a long dial tone was heard.

Angel was already barking orders, when the second message played on the machine. This time Giles' voice came on, "Not in again, I see. Well, never mind. Angel, it's Rupert Giles here - I just wanted to let you know that we handled the annual apocalypse with the help of Xander and the Charmed Ones. Glory is no more, and the world is no longer at risk of being destroyed. However, I suspect Buffy would appreciate getting a call from you so that she can fill you in on what's happened lately...so, please get in touch when you can."

Again, dial tone. And off Angel's suddenly mellow look, Faith just sighed. "Man, they get the end of the world - while we get sucked into a demon dimension?"

"Don't worry, honey," Kennedy told her. "Just wait a month or so, and we'll get our own apocalypse to deal with..."

---

**Unknown location, The Underworld.**

**The same time**

Torches lit the perimeter of the large cave. A dark granite circle was floating two feet off the ground, with five male demon figures in robes standing on it bathed in a not-so-white light. They all had dark-colored pentagrams on their backs, and they all stood looking down at the warlock standing in the center of the circle below them.

Their meeting had just started, and already it was not going well. "The Council will remind you of the heavy losses emanating from this San Francisco. From what we have learned, all of the witches there have been Charmed."

The Dragon warlock in the center of the circle let out a small sneer. "I descend from a long line of Dragon warlocks. When my father died, he left me two things. The power of flight, and the passionate hatred of those who killed him – witches. And I will not rest, until I put all witches to rest!"

"The Council is intrigued," another Council member told him. "However, all who have used force on these witches before have failed."

The man that might have been the head of the Council, with his pet boa constrictor around his arm, then spoke up. "There is another way." He reached out his hand, and snapped his fingers. The seemingly normal vase-like item by his feet shot out a large fog-like mist, which then formed into a human-shaped being.

The Dragon warlock rolled his eyes at the man who just appeared. "A genie? You can't be serious!"

"Tell them what you told me," the head of the Council told the new arrival.

The genie looked a little nervous. "Well, actually, that was kind of a 'just between you and me' kind of thing..."

"Tell it!"

Genie cringed at the order. "Okay, okay!" Looking at the others he said, "Right...well, personally I think that the best way to destroy witches is not to treat them like witches at all." As he spoke, he walked around the small inner circle. "You treat them like humans. Most of your evildoers, naughty types, think it's best to deprive humans of what they desire. No. You wanna get them, you give them exactly what they desire. You grant them their wishes, it'll lead to their undoing."

"If Council agrees, how do we proceed?" another council member wondered.

"Just make sure that the bottle crosses paths with the witches!" He then pointed his thumbs at himself. "And let el genie grande, take it from there."

"With all due respect, genies only work for themselves," the warlock demanded to the Council members. "If he grants them three wishes, he goes free. How do you know that he won't betray you?"

A Council member agreed, as he cautioned the genie, "Remember, getting your freedom does not make you free from us."

"As long as you are a genie we can find you anytime, anywhere," another member pressed further.

---

**The Sun Room, Halliwell Manor, San Francisco.**

**Wednesday, May 23rd 2001**

Two of the sisters, along with Xander and Leo, were sitting around on the wicker furniture. Cordelia was complaining, as Xander tried to bandage her ankle, "Check my to-do list. It says bank, dry cleaners, pedicure. Nowhere on the list does it say kick-box a beast! Just walking along, minding my own business and 'wham!' It was like a random attack," she ranted. "A demonic drive-by!"

"Nothing in our lives is random anymore," Piper told her.

Cordelia shook her head. "You know, we keep saying that - but what does it really mean? Like, is there some kind of cosmic order to all this? Are we on some kind of list? And if so, how many points are we worth?"

"Cordy..." Leo started but was cut off by the former May Queen. "What? We've had a great year, we've wiped out a ton of nasties. Even helped take out a hellgod's ass! I just wanna know if we've tripped some supernatural alarm or anything...owie!"

The youngest sister smacked Xander on the arm. "Not so tight!" Looking back at Leo she finished up, "So, are we ever gonna learn what it really means?"

"Well, not to sound all whitelighter-y," Leo said with a nod. "But everything happens in its own time. You can't rush what's to be."

Piper looked at him, "Okay, how about what already is? Dan is back in town."

Leo shrugged, "So?"

"So, what am I gonna tell him?" Piper wanted to know. "The last time I saw him, he handed me proof that you were killed in 1942. He's gonna expect a reaction from me!"

Cordelia grinned "How about "Hey Dan, you're right, I am a necrophiliac"?"

"Cordy!" Piper snapped, annoyed.

"Ow! Ow," Cordelia said, as she set her hurt foot down. "And why does everyone always 'Cordy' me like that? I can take a hint! And like I said, I want to be called 'Phoebe'-"

She didn't get an answer, as Prue picked that moment to walk into the room. "Hey."

When Piper saw her sister's outfit she asked, "Where are you off to?"

"Lunch date with Dick," Prue said with no excitement.

"Dull Dick?" Cordelia cringed. "Prue, you are way too hot to have to duty date!"

"Yeah, well, all demon hunting and no play has made me a lot less picky," Prue sighed. "I gotta figure out a way to put some more balance in my life."

Piper looked at her. "Yeah, but you don't need Dick..." Everyone smiled at that little unintended word choice as the middle sister glared, "What I mean is, you should be excited to see the guy you're dating. You look like you're off to the Inquisition!"

"It's not that bad," Prue commented.

"What happened to Johnny?" Xander asked. "Another instance of where I was out of the loop, again?"

"No," Prue shook her head. "He just - he seems to be so busy, these days. He's also making up even worse excuses than I do, when we have to go demon killing!" She gave Xander a quick smile. "But then of course, you know how men are."

"On behalf of my gender. Hey!" Xander responded playfully, indulging in a bit of nostalgia.

Piper stood up. "Okay, I have to go open the club. As well as...other stuff, so let's go, Xander..." Looking back to Cordy she asked, "Are you gonna be alright, Cordy?"

Cordy nodded, as they all headed out the front door. "I've got a bit of free time here, so I think I'll try to loosen up my ankle..." As she hopped along holding Xander's arm, the young woman stopped when Prue opened the front door.

"What's that?" Piper wondered. "We get a Fed Ex?"

"I don't think so," Prue said, as she brought the medium-sized box into the house. "It's not packaged for any trip. It looks old, though," she commented, as the oldest Charmed One opened the lid.

"Somebody got a secret admirer?" Piper asked, as she took a capped vase out of the box.

"Not that I know of," Cordelia denied it. "Most of my friends know I have a boyfriend." She wrinkled her nose a bit at the vase. "Eww, it's so dusty. Who would send us something so dusty?" She wiped away a big bit of dust absently, and then jumped back into Xander's arms - when the genie shot out in a mist.

"Your wish is my command," Genie said, looking happy to be out of the bottle.

After several minutes of fast-talking by the genie to make the sisters not try to vanquish him, Cordelia pressed Genie a bit by saying, "I don't get it. You've been stuck in that bottle for 200 years, someone finally sends you to us - and you have no idea who licked the stamp?" She pressed her finger into his chest. "I kinda find that hard to believe..."

"What, and a genie man standing in our living room wearing...that...you can believe?" Prue wondered.

Genie just looked at the group in annoyance. "Well, I don't get it. You win the lotto, and you're asking for explanations?"

"Actually," Piper said slowly. "We'd just like to know who to send the thank-you note to."

"All I know is that you rubbed, and now I serve," Genie told her.

Xander frowned. "No, I can't. That's way too easy to make fun of!"

"Oh, look at that. Mmm. Snacks!" Genie walked over to the table, and picked up a peanut from a glass bowl. "What I wouldn't give to taste food just once. Smell it, even."

"You know, I'm beginning to like this guy," Xander said with a shrug, and a slight smile.

"I don't trust him," Leo told the sisters. "Genies are tricksters by nature. They can and will do anything just to be freed."

Genie just looked at him, annoyed. "What are you, the butler?" Looking at the three women he said, "Come on, everybody's got wishes. I mean, most people spend their entire lives with their wishes never coming true. Here's your chance!"

"This is so not real," Cordelia responded.

"Oh, you don't think so?" Genie said, still annoyed. "Well, I'll tell you what is. I stay until I grant three wishes. One from each of you, those are the rules-"

"You mean, I don't get one?" Xander asked facetiously. "Isn't that a bit sexist?"

Genie ignored him. "Bottom line? No wishes, permanent houseguest. And I snore, I make long distance calls I can't even pay for, you think I'm gonna be putting the CD's back in the right case? No." He stopped and gestured to the women, "Alright, talk amongst yourselves, I'll be over here, alright? I have a hunch that I'm going to be here for a while!"

The genie then walked into the dining room, "It's a nice house..." they all heard as he started looking around.

"Glad you like it!" Xander called out, as it's always nice for someone to appreciate your handiwork.

Prue got annoyed at Genie's antics. "He's enjoying this!"

Piper turned to her boyfriend. "Alright, Leo, what else do you know about genies?"

"Well, the good thing is they're not evil by nature," he told her. "They can't harm you, unless you wish for something."

Xander listened, as he watched the genie start to juggle some items. "A wish from this guy can be bad? Like, from say, a vengeance demon?"

Leo nodded. "Well, yeah. With genies there's always a catch, an unseen consequence." He took a moment, to think of a way to illustrate his point. "For example, say a man wishes for a new car; the next day his dad will die, and he'll inherit a car."

Piper understood. "So as long as we don't wish..."

"You're free and clear," Leo responded.

Prue looked hopeful. "Clear enough to make a lunch date?"

Cordelia leaned on the couch for support. "If what Leo says goes, you two go on ahead. Leave the genie with the cripple, and the big dweeb here."

"Thank you, gimp!" Prue said with fondness, as she gave her a kiss on the cheek and hurried out the door.

"You sure?" Piper asked her younger sister.

"Yeah," Cordy said. "We'll look through the Book, see if we can UPS him back to wherever he came from."

"Alright," Piper said simply. "Xander, get over to the club as soon as you can!" the witch called out, as she and Leo left.

The genie saw them leave, and came back over. "So, uh, what's it gonna be, master?" he asked Cordelia.

She just looked towards Xander, annoyed. And so the former carpenter replied, "We'll get back to you on that. And dude, please - no Major Nelson jokes, okay?"

Genie just looked insulted, and instantly vanished.

---

**Cafe Le Blue, San Francisco, California.**

**Later that day**

Prue sat at the table with her date, Dick. They were looking at menus when the oldest sister suddenly said, "So, um, have you been here before?"

Dick never even looked up. "Oh, it's close to the office. I don't like to take long lunches."

Prue tried again, "What's good?"

Dick said, not even having to think about it, "Caesar's fine, pasta's fine, fish is fine, steak is..."

"Fine," the oldest Charmed one finished up for him.

Dick finally looked up. "Yeah, actually, how'd you know?"

Prue tried not to roll her eyes. "Wild guess." Then she mumbled behind the menu, "What have I gotten myself into?"

Unfortunately for her, the genie chose that moment to appear. However, he was using his magic to manifest in a tiny human form, barely an inch high; and the trickster stood on the top of Dick's menu. "Hey, Dick!" he said with a grin.

Genie then jumped into Dick's mouth, and travelled down his throat. Instantly possessed, Dick then started acting like the genie. The guy dipped his fingers in the butter, and said, "Don't you just love butter? Oh, creamy goodness. To your health!"

Prue watched her so-called date lick off the butter of his fingers, and said in amazement, "Ah, Dick, are you-"

"Sick and tired of trying to pass myself off of being halfway worthy of dating you? You betcha! Look, you and I both know I'm dull as mud. I can't help it. I know who I am. I know I'm not the guy you're looking for," the genie said, using Dick's mouth. Trying to goad the young witch into making a wish.

Prue didn't know what to say. "I..."

But Genie wasn't done yet. "The question is, what are you looking for? I mean come on, how did we make it to date three and you really know I'm not the guy?"

Prue was stunned and replied, "I don't know. I, I mean, at this point I feel like...dating's kind of a job, you know? I mean, you get none but you feel like it's your duty to stay out there. I just want to feel excited by love again. I wish it was like it the first time-"

(Finally!) the genie thought to himself. Then using Dick's mouth he said to the woman, "Your wish is my command."

He clicked his fingers, and at once Prue Halliwell fell under his spell.

---

**Halliwell Manor Attic, San Francisco, California.**

**The same time**

Cordelia was sitting in one of the old chairs with her foot propped up, and flipping through the Book Of Shadows. "Well, if you're gonna go, you better hurry up..."

"You're sure you don't want me to stay?" Xander asked her.

Cordelia shook her head. "Nah, if all he's going to do is get wowed by the stuff in the fridge...then babysitting duty is going to be easy. Go, go to work."

Xander didn't like it, but he figured his beloved Charmed One could handle herself if she'd taken out the Four Horsemen. "Okay, I'll go. But if you need anything..."

"I'll call my hunky badass demon killer boyfriend," Cordelia joked, as he leaned down and they shared a long and passionate kiss.

About five minutes after Xander left, the genie appeared sitting on the chair from Cordy. "Hi. How about great fortune? You want that?" he asked with the pressure of a door-to-door salesman.

Cordelia, now pretty much used to people just appearing out of nowhere, simply shook her head. "I've had enough fun with the IRS in my life, thank you."

"No?" Genie asked, slightly surprised. "Land, power...beauty?" he tried.

Cordelia looked up, annoyed. "Do I look like I need to wish for beauty, buster?" she snapped.

Genie held up his hands. "No...sorry. Musta lost my mind for a moment."

"Damn right you did," Cordelia said before asking suspiciously, "Why are you not in this book?"

"Because you don't vanquish a genie," Genie rolled his eyes. "The only way to get rid of me is to make three wishes. Come on, large or small. I do all kinds." He quickly added, "Only no world peace, though - I can't do that."

"The fine print of wishing," Cordelia said, making a mental note. "Your job has limitations."

"Yeah, well, so does yours," Genie smiled, looking towards Cordy's bandaged foot.

Cordy just shrugged. "Occupational hazard. I've had worse, after a tough cheerleading practice."

"You know..." Genie said with a nod to the foot. "You could wish to be as powerful as you want."

Cordelia again shook her head. "Nope, not interested."

Genie really rolled his eyes. "You're not interested in riches or power...yeah, you're a rocket scientist alright-"

"Hey!" Cordelia offended. "Just so you know, I had plenty of money and power in my former life, bucko. High school freshmen would kiss my feet, for the honor of being called cool by me! So keep the wisecracks to yourself!"

---

**P3 club, San Francisco, California.**

**A short while later**

Piper was sitting with Leo at a table in the club, while she was going over the beer sales. They were lightly chatting, "I mean, poor Dan. It would be so much easier if I could be honest with him, but other than saying 'Leo is a whitelighter' what am I gonna tell him?"

"What more does he need to know?" Leo wondered.

"Well, maybe it's about what I need to know," Piper told him. "I mean, you've been watching me my whole life, and I don't even know where you spend yours."

Leo looked at her, with his arms wide open. "If there's anything you wanna know..."

"It's not exactly about knowing, it's more about experiencing it with you," she told him, trying to explain. "I mean, I have no idea where you go when you orb out. Do you have a house? Friends? A CD player? A cranky landlady?"

Leo smiled a little. "It's not really like that. Up there, there's not much of the norm..."

He was cut off when another man walked down the stairs into the club, and then stopped dead at seeing them together. "You have got to be kidding me!"

Piper got up in surprise, not ready to talk to him yet. "Dan!"

Her ex-boyfriend ignored her and started to leave, making Piper have to run over and catch him. "Uh, uh, wait. I think it's time we talked-"

Dan just looked at her like she had grown another head. "I don't think there's anything to talk about, Piper. It's your life," he said in annoyance, throwing his hands up.

Piper couldn't help it, she looked very uncomfortable. "Uh, Leo, can you give us a second please?"

"Yeah," Leo said, getting up and going over to the other side of the club to check on the stage. And while this soap opera-like drama was going on, no one noticed the face of the genie show up in one of the music posters. He watched Leo leave, and looked back to the other two humans.

"What do you expect from me? I'd really like to know, because at this point - I really don't know what to expect from you," Dan told her, upset. "How can you be with this guy, after everything I found out about him? He's a fraud. He could be anyone..."

Piper didn't want to admit this, but she had to. "Dan, I know who Leo is. I always have."

"What!" Dan looked at her like disbelievingly.

"It's not that I don't appreciate everything you..." Piper tried to say.

"Wait," Dan stopped her. "I've spent all this time worrying about you, worrying about who the hell he is - and you've known all along?"

Piper nodded. "Well, uh, it's very complicated."

"Complicated," Dan stated, as he tried to understand how that was all she was going to tell him.

It was pointless though, so he just turned around and left. "Complicated?" Dan demanded to himself, before he stalked up the stairs towards the exit.

Piper didn't have a happy look on her face, watching him leave. When Leo came back she looked at him and said, "He's right, he deserves to know. But what am I gonna tell him, what am I gonna do? I wish there was some way he could just move on with his life..."

Again, no one noticed Genie watching them and start to smile. Foregoing the talking for once, he just clicked his fingers and vanished.

---

**Halliwell Manor Attic, San Francisco, California.**

**A few seconds later**

Cordelia was flipping through a travel book on Paris, when the genie popped back in. "So, figure out how to get rid of me yet?"

"Yeah, all I have to do is get you back in the bottle," Cordelia said, flipping a page. "I have no idea how to do that yet, but I will."

"Well, wish and it will be so," Genie told her. "Otherwise, your only shot is if I volunteered to leave willingly and, uh, newsflash..." He sat on the stool her foot was resting on, and lightly hit the bandaged appendage. "That's not gonna happen."

"Oww!" Cordy yelled in pain. "Don't do that!"

"I'm sorry," the genie said sincerely, thinking he might have gone to far. "Look, could you stop trying to banish me just long enough for me to try a little something on you? It's-it's wish free." He gently started to massage her foot.

Cordelia started to feel pain again, before her face changed expression drastically. "Ooh, oh. How'd you learn how to do that? You do it even better than Xander..."

Genie just grinned. "Little something a sultan taught me."

Cordelia waited till he was done with the foot rub to wonder, "Um, just out of curiosity, what would you wish for yourself? I mean, you must've heard them all, right? So what would be your wish?"

Genie instantly had a fond smile come over his face. "That's easy. I'd wish for the little things, you know. Things people take for granted. I mean, the feeling of a suntan, taste of ice cream, preferably chocolate. Sex! That one looks like it could be a lot of fun-"

"If you do it right, sure," Cordelia commented. "And heck, I oughta know!"

"Being human. Yeah, that's what I'd wish for," Genie shook his head with a sigh. "So, what did you do to yourself here?"

"I was demon dueling," Cordy said absently. "One of my kicks was a little off-center."

Genie saw a possible opening. "So, uh, did you finish them off with your scary witchy power?"

"Nope, my witchy power is a little hard to control," Cordy admitted. "Unless I get really pissed off. So don't make me so mad I'll set you on fire!"

Genie looked at her. "That's it? That's all you can do?"

"Well, there's that and the premonitions," the witch replied somewhat defensively.

Genie was going to say something else, when he spotted a notepad nearby. "Doing some writing too?"

"Just thinking last night," Cordy told him. "And for the record? It's not easy to get your boyfriend to call you another name, at the moment when all the blood is rushing down south from his head!"

"But why would you even want to?" Genie asked her, looking at the name 'Phoebe Halliwell' written over and over again.

"It's just one of those what-ifs that everyone has in their lives, I guess," Cordelia admitted. "You know...how would it have been if I was Phoebe and not Cordelia, if I had another power, if I was able to drive a-"

She stopped when the genie quickly stood up with a big smile. "Thank you! And it's about time!" he said.

"What are you talking about!" Cordelia demanded, as she stood up.

"Your wish," Genie told her. "It's a two-parter, but no problemo - I know just where to get the second bit!"

"No! I so did not wish for any of that!" Cordelia said hotly. "I mean, I have experience at this...I didn't say the W word!"

"Close enough," Genie said happily. "That's three, and I am out of here!" When he snapped his fingers, the small metal band around his neck vanished...and reality changed.

At a gas station where Xander filling up the Hemi Cuda...both human and car vanished in an instant, as if they'd never even existed.

"Three?" the young woman now known as Phoebe, even if she still looked like 'Cordelia', demanded. "That's not even one!"

Genie just waved to her, as he left the attic. Still on a bad foot, she who had now called herself Phoebe Halliwell all her life yelled after him, "Okay, if you're free then where's my power? Hey!"

---

**The exterior of 1329 Prescott Street, San Francisco, California.**

**The same time**

Piper and Leo pulled up in her Jeep to see Dan talking to an unknown guy, and a For Sale sign on his lawn. Piper started to walk over, but then stopped. "Um, I'll be right back," she told Leo, before she headed over to Dan.

"Well, thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it," Dan told the man next to him.

"You kidding?" the guy commented. "This area is huge, this quarter!"

Piper waited till the other man had left before she asked, "What's going on?"

Dan looked a tad uncomfortable, but not nearly as much as he'd been earlier. "I, uh, I got a job offer in Portland. I just thought I'd take it."

"Just like that?" Piper asked, very surprised.

Dan shrugged. "I just think it's time that I move on with my life, don't you? Look, I, uh, I really gotta go. Got a lot to take care of."

"Right," Piper said, still shocked as Dan went back into his home. Walking back to Leo she told him, "Something's not right..."

"Well, it's probably all for the best," Leo shrugged, unable to help wanting the entire 'Dan' thing to be over and done with.

Piper shook her head. "No, something he said when I asked..." Her words were drowned out though, by the loud screeching of Prue's car coming around the corner. The driver slammed on the brakes right in front of the manor, in Prue's typical driving style...

However, the Prue that these two were expecting to see didn't step out of the car. A teenage version of her did. She was in the same clothes, but now had braces and looked over ten years younger.

"Hey!" the Halliwell girl said, as the young teenager ran up the steps to meet them. "Piper, check it out. So the valet guy said that this cool ride is mine. Can you believe it?"

Then she nudged her sister. "Ooh, who's the cute boy?"

"Boy?" Leo asked in disbelief.

"Prue?" Piper asked.

Prue just looked at her sister for a moment. "Hey, are you okay? I mean, don't take this the wrong way but you're looking kinda...old."

"And, and you're back in braces..." Piper said, stunned.

---

**Halliwell Manor, San Francisco, California.**

**A few minutes later**

Piper, Leo and Prue walked up the stairs, and quickly headed into the attic. "Cordy?" Leo asked, getting an odd look from Piper before she called out, "Phoebe?"

"I'm up here!" a female voice called from the ceiling, and they saw the Patty's third child floating above them. "And I can't get down. I don't know how I got up!"

Leo quickly floated gracefully up to her, and brought her down. "I've got you..."

Phoebe breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Leo."

Leo nodded. "No problem."

"That is so totally cool!" Prue looked towards Piper and added, "So, do I get a power like that? And do I have to get all old like you guys?"

Piper growled a little, "Alright, let's get something straight. We are not old, we are just older than you are right now - for some reason!"

Phoebe wasn't sure she wanted to ask this, but did so anyway. "Wait a minute. Exactly how old are you?"

"Seventeen," the younger Prue told her.

"Seventeen?" Piper groaned. "Prue was a nightmare at that age! Why would she wish for that?"

"She probably didn't," Leo sighed. "She probably only wished for something she could only get by being seventeen. Which explains why she has no memory of being older."

"Yeah, but how is that even possible? I mean, it's so..." Phoebe asked, confused as she lifted her arms and suddenly started to float again. "Whoa!"

Leo had to grab her and put her arms down. "All right, you know what?" he told her quickly. "How about you just keep your arms down, until you learn how to work the controls."

"Great idea," Phoebe said, as she took hold of the wall just to be sure.

Piper looked over to her now-younger older sister. "Are you sure you don't remember anything about witches? Genies? Dick?"

"No, but it sounds totally bitchin'," Young Prue said with glee, before she grabbed the Book of Shadows and flipped though it. "This is such a cool book. What is it?"

"I'll tell you when you're older," Piper said annoyed, as she grabbed her sister's hands. "Let go of it. Stop it. Stop it!"

Prue sent her a look like a child would send his scolding mother. Leo cut in before she could say anything, "You guys have another problem. At seventeen, Prue didn't have her powers yet, which makes you all more vulnerable."

Phoebe agreed, "Yeah, especially if whoever sent the genie is a demon or something."

A loud bang was heard, and then an unknown male started shouting, "Where's my power? I want it back!"

"Who is that supposed to be?" Phoebe demanded.

"A demon or something," Piper said. As they moved for the door, she turned to Prue. "You, stay here!"

As Phoebe, Piper and Leo head down the stairs, the whitelighter tried to explain. "Remember what I told you about wishes and strings attached? That genie gave you a power, but he must've stolen it from him-"

"So, are we thinking demon or warlock?" Piper wants to know.

"I don't know," Phoebe told her, before Prue came down on her own and spotted the Dragon warlock at the same time. Though her reaction was a little different from that of the others. "Oh my God, who's the hottie?"

"Oh my God, get her out of here now! Go!" Piper yelled at Leo, as the Dragon warlock breathed a large stream of fire at them. Piper hardly had time to use her power to freeze the fire in mid-air...mere inches from their faces.

Both remaining sisters walked sideways to get out of the range of the fire stream, that was still giving off lots of heat. "Okay, that was too close," Piper remarked.

Phoebe ducked, as she slowly went under the fire to get downstairs. Piper slowly followed behind her, "Easy..."

"Okay, now what?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, we can't vanquish him if we don't know what he is," Piper reasoned.

Phoebe thought it over. "So why don't I just fly him outta here, and dump him somewhere?"

"I don't know, can you do that?"

"I have no idea, but I can try," Phoebe shrugged. "I've always wanted an active power, right?" Cordelia's ability to throw fire from her hands unknown to the witch, in this new timeline.

Piper nodded. "Uh-huh."

"So let's see what it can do," the youngest Halliwell suggested.

"Alright," Piper replied, not knowing what else to do.

Phoebe lifted up her arms, and her body suddenly hovered above the ground; she then took on a Superman-like flying position, and grabbed the warlock as she flew out the open door with him hanging on and yelling as he unfroze. His unfrozen fire also suddenly scorching a large picture, on the wall of the stairway.

A short while later, Phoebe dropped the struggling warlock in a field outside of the city. And she hoped to God that she could recall the way back home...

---

**Halliwell Manor Attic, San Francisco, California.**

**A short while later**

Leo walked back into the room and came over to Piper, who was looking through the Book of Shadows. "Your new little sister's in her bedroom, checking out the clothes."

"Nice to see some things never change," Piper said, annoyed and recalling Prue's teen years. "On the good side, I found our fire breather."

Neither man nor woman noticed Phoebe fly by the window. "Guys!" she yelled, trying to get them to hear her.

Leo just read from the book, "Dragon warlock..."

Piper looked up, thinking she'd heard something and looking around.

"Most feared witch killer there is. He can fly, breathe fire," Leo kept going. "Has supernatural strength. You're gonna need the power of three to vanquish him."

"Which we don't have right now," Piper stated, as she went to the window and started looking out. "If I ever find that genie again, I'm gonna wish him into oblivion!" She looked back to Leo. "Did you hear that?"

Leo shook his head. "Hear what?"

Piper didn't get a chance to answer, as Phoebe crashed through the window and did a roll to not break her arm. Piper ran to her, concerned, "Oh my God, are you all right?"

As she was helped up, Phoebe just tried to fix her hair. "Flying's awesome, it's the landing part that's a real bitch!"

"Yeah. All right, Leo, how do we fix this?" Piper demanded, as she made sure her sister stayed on the ground.

"Oh, I know how to fix it," Phoebe said, before he had a chance to reply. "According to the Book, we've gotta get the genie back into the bottle. It's the only way to undo the wishes, and make everything go back to normal."

"Right. And we should probably call the club and make sure Xander didn't get caught out making a wish as well," Leo suggested.

Both Halliwell sisters looked at him, confused. "Call who?" they both asked.

Leo looked at them. "Xander. You know, Cordelia...your boyfriend, Xander Harris?"

"Uh, Leo?" Phoebe said, looking at him as if he was crazy. "Two things. A, who's Cordelia? My name's Phoebe, always has been - you know that. And B, I don't have a boyfriend at the moment!"

"Please tell me you're joking," Leo said in sudden fear, but at their looks he said, "Oh, no. You're not joking..."

"Yeah! Like, I think I would recall a boyfriend," Phoebe told him in annoyance. "I'm kind of in a dry spell at the moment..."

Leo quickly ran past them out of the attic, without another word.

"Leo?" Piper wondered, as they followed him. He led the two sisters down the hall, and opened what appeared to be a seldom-used door. The whitelighter then looked surprised, when it creaked from disuse...

"No, no. Damn it..." Leo cursed softly, as the guardian angel saw the room filled with nothing but dusty old boxes. He then tried to sense his charge with his whitelighter powers...but again, nothing. "Damn it!"

"What's so important about Grams's old sewing room?" Piper wondered.

"It was Xander's bedroom, at least before he moved in with Cor...Phoebe," Leo responded, trying to keep it all straight in his head. Luckily, as a whitelighter he was immune to those magicks. "We've got trouble - I can't sense him anywhere! And I guess it's kinda obvious by now, but that guy never lived here in this timeline, did he? Thanks to the wish, history's been changed - damn that genie..."

"Wow. I mean, I had a live-in boyfriend?" Phoebe asked in wonder. "Tell me about him. Was this mystery guy cute?"

"Phoebe!" Piper snapped at her, when she saw the very worried look on Leo's face. "Not now!"

"Sorry!" the youngest Halliwell said sheepishly. "But like I said, 'dry spell'..."

---

**Apartment B, 523 Oak Park Street, Sunnydale.**

**A few minutes later**

"I'll get it!" Willow said, as she grabbed the ringing phone. "Rupert Giles's residence."

The male voice sighed in relief. #Willow, this is Leo...is Xander there? I really need to talk to him!#

Willow's entire body grew cold. "Who is this?" she demanded softly, honestly not having a clue who the caller was - thanks to the genie's machinations.

#It's me, Leo Wyatt, I was with you when we defeated Glory a few weeks ago!# the whitelighter replied. #Look, I really need to talk to Xander right now!#

Willow seemed to get over her shock a little, and spoke very angrily into the phone. "I don't give a damn about Glory anymore, Buffy paid the ultimate price to get rid of her! Now, how do you know about Xander Harris?"

#Willow, please. Is he there or not? Look, do you have his number?# the guy on the line said quickly. #He's not at the club, which wasn't exactly a surprise, so I assumed he'd most likely still be there in Sunnydale...#

"Xander is dead!" Willow responded coldly. "And I don't know who you are, but I don't like it when people call up and just-"

#What? He's dead!# Leo demanded. #How?#

Willow just hung up the phone in disgust, causing Tara to come over. "Sweetie, what is it?" the blond witch asked.

"Some guy wanted to talk to Xander," the redhead told her girlfriend with a sigh.

"Xander Harris?" Harmony Kendall asked in surprise, looking up. After all - you don't easily forget a guy who saves you from a Frankenstein monster, and almost gets burned to death for his trouble.

Oddly enough, the blond still had feelings for that guy, even if they'd never gotten together in this or any other reality. And the female who had taken Cordy's place in the grand Sunnydale scheme of things had, unlike Ms. Chase, never been asked to come along when Harris had gone to 1630 Revello Drive...the day the Order of Taraka had come to town.

And either luckily or unluckily, depending on your point of view, Harmony had never realized her feelings for Harris till after he'd died.

"He's been dead for years now," Amy Madison said lightly, recalling how Xander's body had been found in Buffy's basement covered in worm residue.

"Uh, guys?" Jesse asked after he orbed in. "What's with the long faces?"

"Vampire! Vampire!" Harmony yelled, as she jumped out of the way and Amy charged at him with a sword.

"Amy?" Jesse asked, very confused before he dodged the sword just in time. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Not him, too!" Willow cried. "It's Jesse, he's back from the undead!"

"Incindere!" Amy yelled at him, her eyes going black as she dropped the bladed weapon.

Jesse screamed, as his entire body caught on fire. "YEEEEOW!" It took all his willpower to focus, and cause his healing aura to work. Everyone else then jumped back as he glowed with a golden light, and the fire vanished.

"What the hell is going on?" more than one person shouted out.

---

**Cafe Le Blue, San Francisco, California.**

**A short while later**

The genie was there sitting at a table, and shoveling food into his mouth. Basically he was just trying everything that was on the menu, when Leo and Piper spotted him. Piper quickly froze him and the rest of the restaurant, as they stormed over to him. "This guy's not a genie, he's a pig!" the witch ranted.

She then unfroze only her target. "Hi. Wanna know what I'm wishing for now?"

Genie looked up from the mashed potatoes. "Look, uh, you're probably a little bit upset, huh?"

Piper leaned into him menacingly "No, I've moved past upset and straight to pissed off! You tricked us, and now there's a warlock that's trying to turn us into witch kebabs!"

"Warlock?" Genie asked innocently. "What warlock?"

"A dragon warlock," Leo told him, upset. "The one you stole the flying power from. You remember him now?"

"Wow, he came already?" Genie said in surprise before adding, "Wait a second. How did he know where to look for it?"

Piper crossed her arms. "I don't know, you tell us!"

"Well, I didn't tell him!" the genie defended himself. "Look, they probably just tracked it somehow, that's all, I don't know. We're not partners. I got this gig on my own."

"Gig?" Leo demanded. "So somebody did send you. Who was it?"

The genie shook his head. "Well, you see - that's it, that's part of the genie-client privilege thing. I couldn't possibly tell." He frowned. "Yeah, plus that and they'll kill me."

"They're gonna have to wait in line!" Piper told him, as she grabbed his arm. "Alright, let's go."

"What did you do to Xander?" Leo suddenly asked, when Genie was on his feet.

"That the guy who Cordelia was making eyes at?" Genie asked. "Sorry, I really didn't talk much to him-"

"So...you know this guy as well?" Piper asked in amazement, not having fully believed it until now. "He really did exist?"

Before he could reply, the genie vanished in a puff of black smoke.

"What happened? Where did he go? I thought you said free genies don't have powers," Piper said to her one true love.

"They don't," Leo told her. "It's gotta be somebody else who does, and they must have wanted him badly..."

---

**Unknown location, The Underworld.**

**The same time**

The Council, the Dragon warlock and the genie were all back in the same location as before. And this time, no one was happy about it.

The third Council member said, "It has come to our attention that you have violated our pact. You accuser will speak."

The Dragon warlock snarled, "He used the Halliwells' wishes not to destroy them, but to free himself from his bottle!"

The first Council member nodded. "What do you say to this charge?"

Genie knew he had to talk fast. "It was all part of the master plan, alright? And those witches would be dead right now, if puff over here hadn't screwed everything up!"

The warlock was incensed. "Screwed everything up?" He grabbed the genie by the clothes. "You stole a power from me!"

Genie dismissed that, "Borrowed, okay, the term is 'borrowed'. And I knew that it would, that it would piss you off so bad - that you would be that much more motivated to get out there, and kill yourself some witches, alright?"

The second Council member pointed out the flaw in this logic, as the Dragon warlock let Genie go. "But you plan failed. The dragon's attack was thwarted."

Genie sighed. "Look, you don't go after the witches with powers, okay? You go after the one without..."

---

**Halliwell Manor, San Francisco, California.**

**The same time**

Phoebe was about to head up to the attic, when the phone rang. And thus, she missed her now-younger older sister climbing down the lattice work, dressed for a teen night on the town. "Hello?"

#When I first got the call, I naturally dismissed it as a crank. But then I realized it was Deputy Marrow on the other end,# Darryl's voice said.

"Okay, Darryl, can you speed this up - because I'm kinda busy right now..." Phoebe quickly told him.

#Doing what, flying?# Darryl demanded, causing the Halliwell woman to cringe. #Now, see, I've learned to interpret those pauses as admission...#

Phoebe sat on the bottom stair and sighed. "What did he see?"

#Actually, it was his wife,# Morris informed her. #She swore she saw a dark-haired young woman fly over the house earlier...without a plane.#

Phoebe tried to lighten the mood. "How about a broomstick?"

Morris didn't laugh; as in this timeline, the rest of the SIU weren't in on the secret. As after all, Xander had never been there for the darklighter to try to drive him into committing suicide back then. #Phoebe, this isn't funny. Just the fact that a call like that got brought up to me, gives you some idea of the pressure that I'm under here. You think I can simply tell my captain that it was just a friend going for a joyride?#

"Phoebe?" Piper called, as she and Leo entered via the kitchen door.

"In here!" Phoebe called back before saying to Darryl, "Okay, Darryl, I'm really sorry okay, it won't happen again - but I gotta go, bye!" And when the young woman only saw the two of them she asked, "You didn't find the genie?"

Piper was trying to keep her anger in check. "We did, but then we lost him. Where's Prue?"

Phoebe pointed with her thumb. "Upstairs, reminding me what a pain she was at seventeen."

Piper nodded in understanding. "Now you know why she was lucky to make it to eighteen."

Leo looked at his girlfriend. "Why? What do you mean?"

"Well, you'd remember it better than I do - I was only what, 10 years old then?" Phoebe asked her sister. "I wasn't even in high school!"

"It was Prue's rebellious stage," Piper filled Leo in. "She thought everything bad was good, especially the guy she thought she was in love with."

"Until he attacked her, right?" Phoebe added.

"Yeah, and Grams went crazy when she found out," Piper added before wondering, "Come to think of it, that guy disappeared not too long after that. You don't suppose Grams..."

"She wasn't a killer," Phoebe said instantly. Then she turned to her whitelighter, "Leo? Tell me more about this vanished boyfriend I had!"

"What, now?" the angel asked. "Cordy-"

"And that's another thing, I'm never gonna get used to hearing that...that name," Phoebe said in disbelief. "I really was called that?"

"Yes," Leo said simply.

"And I was raised in this...Sunnyvale place?"

"It was Sunnydale, and yes," the whitelighter sighed. "The Chases adopted you, after you were found there - when someone kidnapped from your parents. You and Xander grew up there, together. After your high school graduation, you both came here to live - and he stayed on Penny's written insistence..."

"Freaky," Piper said, shaking her head. "And now...this guy's dead, because of Phoebe's wish?"

"It shouldn't have happened that way," Leo Wyatt looked grim, as Phoebe looked ill. "The man has...had...a special destiny, to become one of my kind...maybe. I still don't know for sure, even after all we've been through. But future whitelighter or not, Xander didn't deserve to be cut down like that so early in life..."

The doorbell cut off any further questions, so Piper told Phoebe, "I'll get that. You go watch Prue."

Phoebe headed upstairs, thus missing the shock on her sibling's face when Piper opened the door. She and Leo saw a very old grey-haired man standing there. "Uh, can I help you?"

"Piper, why the hell is this happening to me?" the man rasped out at her.

Phoebe picked that moment to run, well - as fast as she could on a bad foot, back downstairs. "Prue snuck out of her window, we have to go find her!"

When Leo and Piper didn't really move, Phoebe tried to push them towards the open door when she was told, "Phoebe...that's Dan."

"What? Oh, this day just sucks!" Phoebe declared.

---

**Somewhere in San Francisco, California.**

**Thursday, May 24th 2001**

Long after midnight Prue was driving her car, or at least trying to, and going way too fast - when she spotted the Dragon warlock standing in the middle of the road.

The teenager skidded to a halt; he then walked to the passenger side of the convertible and asked, "How about a lift?"

Prue gave him her best come-hither smile and he jumped into the passenger seat, before Prue hit the gas again and they roared off.

---

**Prue's bedroom, Halliwell Manor, San Francisco.**

**The same time**

Piper was pacing the room, with her cell phone in her hand. After several minutes she frowned, "She's not answering!"

"Well, maybe she doesn't know how?" Phoebe thought. "Were cell phones even around ten years ago?"

Piper got upset, "She knows what a ringing phone sounds like, doesn't she?"

Phoebe kept on touching stuff on the bed, trying to get a premonition. "Maybe I should fly around, and see if I can spot her car..."

"In this city?" Piper asked her. "No, you'll never be able to find it. You have a hard enough time controlling your power in the daytime, let alone at night!"

Phoebe growled a little in response, "Why can't I get a premonition when I want to? If I had one wish right now, that's what it would be!" She tossed Prue's blouse back on her bed.

"At least your wish isn't hurting anyone," Piper said morosely. "Look what mine did!"

"That's not your fault," her sister told her sternly.

Piper didn't buy it, though. "How can it not be? Dan is aging to death, because I wished for him to move on with his life. He would be fine, if it wasn't for me. It's not fair, he doesn't deserve this! It's bad enough the wishes are biting us in the ass, but not him. This shouldn't be happening to him!"

"We have to find the genie," Phoebe told her as she came over to comfort her sister. "It's the only way to save Dan, and this Xander guy that Leo says I'm sleeping with!"

---

**Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California.**

**A while later**

Prue and the Dragon warlock were sitting in the parked car, nice soft music playing on the radio. "So, um, what you, you don't have a name?" she asked.

"I go by a lot of names," the warlock told her, sounding like a normal human daredevil that a teen girl would love. "Depends where I am."

Prue smiled, the braces shining. "So, why are my sisters scared of you? Why did you come to our house earlier?"

He leaned towards her. "Because they have something that I want. Something's that mine. Are you scared of me?"

Prue laughed, "No."

She leaned in and they started to make out, before her cell phone rang again. Prue angrily grabbed it, "God, it's ringing again. How do you turn it off?"

The Dragon warlock reached over and pressed a button, then they continued making out; but he suddenly started to get a bit rough. "Easy. Okay, hey, hey, hey. Easy!" Prue told him, getting a little worried.

The warlock suddenly grabbed her by the neck, and Prue saw his eyes glow red. In a demonic-sounding voice he suddenly demanded, "Are you scared of me NOW?"

Prue screamed in terror as she yanked the door open, and ran for her life. The warlock just got out and watched her go running off into the dark, as the genie walked up behind him. "Won't be too long before she calls her sisters to come rescue her. It's the perfect trap," the evil Dragon remarked.

Genie looked a little worried. "You didn't hurt her, did ya? Because I thought I heard screams..."

The Dragon warlock looked at him in disgust. "You've spent too much time with humans already. Developing a conscience." He quickly grabbed Genie by the neck, and lifted him up off the ground. "If you want your freedom, you do exactly as I say. You understand?"

"Absolutely," Genie could hardly gasp out.

"Good..." the warlock smiled and dropped him to the ground, then slowly stalked after the terrified Prue.

---

**Halliwell Manor Living Room.**

**A few minutes later**

Dan was sitting on the couch, looking even a bit older than before. Piper sat on the end of the couch with him and said, "Dan, I'm so sorry."

"I don't understand," Dan replied. "What is this?"

Piper hadn't want to do it like this, but no longer had any choice in the matter. "This is going to be hard for me to explain, and even harder for you to believe. But we're witches. Prue, Phoebe and myself. And not your everyday kind of witches either. We have supernatural powers that we use to fight off..." she cast a look to Leo before going on, "...demons and warlocks. You know all the family emergencies that I used to have? Um, I never told you before because I didn't want you to be hurt because of it. I didn't want something like this to happen to you-"

"And I'm the same Leo Wyatt that died in 1942," Leo told him. "I'm a whitelighter, a guardian angel for witches."

As much as he could in his geriatric condition, Dan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right."

Leo just orbed out, and then back in to the same spot. Dan's eyes went wide in disbelief; Piper reached for his hand, but the old man instinctively pulled it away from her.

The middle sister tried in vain to hide the hurt look on her face. (Yeah, this is going even worse than I anticipated...)

---

**Prue's bedroom, Halliwell Manor, San Francisco.**

**The same time**

Still trying to get a premonition, Phoebe picked up some makeup from the bed - and instantly had a full-on vision of the future.

She saw the genie's vase falling under the wicker couch in the sun room. So instantly, Phoebe hurried down the stairs and called for her sister, "Piper!"

Piper and Leo walked out of the living room to join her. "What?" the Halliwell woman asked.

"I just had a premonition," Phoebe told them, excited. "I have no idea what it means..."

Again the phone rang, and this time Piper quickly grabbed it. "Hello?"

---

**Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California.**

**The same time**

Prue was hiding in some bushes, talking into her cell phone. She was breathing heavily and crying a lot, too. "Piper, thank God, you have to help me!"

#Prue!# Piper quickly said on the other end of the line.

"Piper, he's trying to kill me..." the teen Prue cried into the phone. "...he's trying to kill me, and I don't think he's human!"

#Okay, calm down!# Piper replied, trying to get information. #Uh, where is he now?#

"I don't know!" Prue responded quickly. "I think he's, he's following me. You have to come quick!"

#Okay, Prue, where are you?#

"Golden Gate Park," Ms. Halliwell replied.

#Okay, listen to me. Go to the lake where Dad used to take us fishing, remember?# Piper ordered her. #And hide under the bridge until we get there, okay?#

A noise caused Prue to look up in worry. "I think he's coming!"

---

**Halliwell Manor Living Room.**

**The same time**

Piper yelled into the phone, "Prue? Prue? Damn it!"

"What?" Phoebe asked, very worried.

"The dragon's after her," Piper said as she grabbed her coat from the rack.

As Phoebe grabbed hers, Leo came over and said, "It's a trap, you know it's a trap-"

Phoebe nodded in agreement. "It doesn't matter, Leo, we have to go anyway."

"Alright, well, at least go with a plan," Leo told them. "Try using your new power, fly overhead, spot him before he spots you."

"Right," Piper replied before she kissed Leo on the cheek. "Uh, stay with Dan. We'll be back!"

"You better be," Leo responded, not liking this at all.

"We gotta hurry, it's gonna be light soon..." Piper said worriedly, as she yanked open the door.

---

**Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California.**

**A while later**

The first few rays of daylight were coming through the trees, as Piper and Phoebe pulled up in the jeep. "Okay, you think you can control the power this time?" Piper asked, as they got out of the car.

Phoebe looked determined. "I'll have to, I have no choice. Alright, I'll spot the dragon, you freeze him."

Piper nodded, "Then we find Prue, and get the hell outta here. Alright, go, fly!"

Only moments after Phoebe lifted off into the air, Prue came running towards the middle sister. "Piper! Piper! Piper!"

Piper saw her sibling from across the field. "Prue!" she shouted and took off towards her.

"Piper!" the terrified young Prue called out again.

"No, Prue, shh. Go back! Go, go!" Piper called, knowing that the warlock had to be somewhere close.

However, it was the genie who appeared and grabbed Piper. Only then, did the Dragon warlock appear and grab Prue. "What are you doing? Let go of me!" Prue screamed, as she struggled to get free.

Genie whispered to Piper as he held her firmly, "I'm sorry-"

Piper still yelled to the warlock as she tried to get free, "Let her go! Let go of her, damn it!"

Prue's eyes then went as wide as saucers with fear, as a knife appeared in the warlock's hand. "Piper!"

"NOOO!" Piper cried out in horror.

The warlock then saw Phoebe flying above them. "Come on. Keep coming. Come and save your little sister..."

But before Phoebe could do anything, he plunged the knife into Prue's back.

"Nooo! Nooo!" both sisters yelled out, as Phoebe flew fast towards the ground. "Prue!"

Unfortunately, Phoebe was going way too fast and crashed onto the ground, hard. "Ow!"

"Time to get my power back!" the Dragon warlock declared, as he stalked towards Phoebe - letting Prue fall to the ground.

"Let go!" Piper yelled, and surprisingly the genie did exactly that. And with her hands free, Piper froze the warlock and ran over to her wounded sibling. "Prue!"

Phoebe got up, and ran to her fallen sister as well. She started to cry and panic a little, at the sight of all the blood. "Oh my God, oh my God, what do we do, what do we do!"

"Leo can heal her, I know he can!" Piper told her, gently picking up Prue's head. "We just need to get her home. Go get the car, Phoebe, go get the car!"

Phoebe nodded and ran off, trying to wipe her tears away. "Oh, God!"

Genie just watched her, with a very pained look on his face. "Oh my God, what have I done?"

---

**The Kitchen, Halliwell Manor, San Francisco.**

**A while later**

The back door slammed open, Phoebe and Piper carried in Prue and laid her gently on the floor. "Leo! Leo!"

Leo came in, and was shocked at what he saw. "What happened?"

"Never mind, just heal her. Quickly, come on!" Piper told him, as she made room for the guardian angel.

Leo quickly knelt down, and held his hands over the wound. His hands glowed, but there was no healing visible. And this fact was not unnoticed by the sisters...

"What's the matter? Why isn't it working?" Piper demanded.

"Leo?" Phoebe quickly asked as well.

Leo gave up and just looked towards them. "I can't heal the dead!"

Both Halliwell women started to cry a lot harder at that. "Yes, you can!" Piper told him fiercely, refusing to accept that.

---

**The Conservatory, Halliwell Manor, San Francisco.**

**A bit later**

Piper and Phoebe were holding each other, crying their eyes out for their lost sister - as Leo brought someone through the front door.

And when the Halliwell duo saw who it was, they stood up, enraged. "What the hell is he doing here!" Phoebe demanded, pointing to the genie.

Leo tried to be the voice of reason. "Wait, wait, just hear him out...he may have an idea."

Genie talked awkwardly, "Listen, I'm so sorry. All I ever wanted was my freedom, that's it, that's all that I was thinking about. I'm just a genie..."

"Get to the point!" Piper demanded, as upset as the whitelighter had ever seen her.

Leo cut in, before Piper tried to gut Genie like a fish or something. "He's willing to give up his freedom. Go back in the bottle, and return everything to the way it was."

Phoebe didn't know if she should get her hopes up or not. "Even Prue?"

"It should work," Genie said quickly. "I mean, technically teenage Prue is the one who got killed, not adult Prue."

Piper glared daggers at him. "How do we know this isn't just another trick!"

"Well, if it gets Prue back, you'll have the power of three to vanquish the Dragon - who'll no doubt be here soon enough," Leo reasoned. "And if it gets Xander back too, so much the better. Basically, at this point; what have we got to lose?"

Piper and Phoebe shared a long look with each other, before Phoebe picked up the vase and took the lid off. "After you."

Genie slapped his hands together, and disappeared back into the bottle.

And just like that, reality changed again.

"Agggh!" the woman now known as Cordelia Halliwell suddenly screamed, as the memories of her old life were returned to her. "Xander-"

"Never mind him right now! Try to fly," Piper ordered her little sister.

Shaking her head and righting herself mentally, Cordelia lifted her arms - but nothing happened. She then checked her other power, as a fireball erupted in her hand; "Okay! I'm me, again!"

Her eyes then went wide, as she ran for the kitchen. Piper and Leo went to check first on Dan; and upon having seen him changed back into his younger self, they ran for the kitchen too.

"It worked! Dan's..." Piper started to say, but stopped at what she saw.

Cordelia had Prue's head resting on her lap, her cooling adult corpse not having been resurrected as hoped. "No, it didn't," Cordy told them with a sob.

Leo came as close to swearing as he could, for someone of his generation. "All it did was turn her back into her adult self, it didn't save her..."

Piper tried to think of something, anything. "Wait, the genie's back in the bottle, so if we can get him out, then we have three more wishes, right?"

Cordelia gently put Prue on the floor. "All we need is one..."

---

**The Conservatory, Halliwell Manor, San Francisco.**

**Two seconds later**

Piper came running in, and headed straight towards the bottle. But as she was crossing the room, the Dragon warlock flew through a window and knocked her down, hard.

Piper fell, knocking the table down and in all the confusion - no one saw the genie's vase roll under the wicker couch.

Leo and Cordelia came into the room at the same time Dan did, from the opposite direction. "Piper?" he called out.

"Dan, get down!" Cordy yelled to him.

The man dove back into the living room, just as the warlock let loose with a big breath of fire straight at him. Cordy ran up, and let loose some fire of her own at the evil creature; but the aptly-named Dragon warlock was unfazed by the flames, and shot out a fresh stream of hellfire right back at her.

Leo grabbed his charge just in the nick of time, and pulled her behind a large bookcase. "You see where the bottle went?"

Cordelia shook her head. "No, I have no idea...wait, yeah, in my premonition! You distract him."

"Right!" Leo said, and orbed out.

"Too bad you don't have my power anymore!" the warlock taunted the Charmed Ones, as it stalked its way towards Piper.

At that moment, Leo orbed back in a few feet behind the warlock. "Hey, dragon breath, over here!"

The distraction worked, as the Dragon warlock spun around and shot a deadly rain of fire at Leo; who orbed out before it hit him. Cordelia then jumped up and slid over to the couch, pulling out the vase.

She quickly rubbed it, and Genie appeared. "I wish that Prue was alive again," Cordelia quickly told him.

Genie smiled and snapped his fingers. Cordy yelled out, "Piper, go check on Prue!"

As Piper ran to the other room, the Dragon warlock looked rather...upset at the genie. "Where the hell did you come from?"

Genie grinned at him. "Oh, no, no, that's where you're going!"

The warlock's eyes went wide as Prue and Piper charged in, holding hands and chanting, "The power of three will set us free, the power of three will set us free!"

Cordelia ran to them, joining hands and chanting the chant as well, "The power of three will set us free, the power of three will set us free!"

The warlock screamed, as he lifted himself off the ground and tried to fly out the same hole he'd made on his way in.

"The power of three will set us free. The power of three will set us free!"

"Nooooo!" the Dragon warlock screamed, as he blew up in a storm of hellfire halfway out of the window.

---

**P3 club, San Francisco, California.**

**A minute later**

"P3," the bartender named Ronnie said, as he answered the phone.

#Ronnie? It's Cordelia.#

"Oh hey, Cordelia," the man said at once.

#Is Xander there? I...haven't seen him for a while...#

"Xander? Yeah, last time I saw him, he was sleeping in the back."

#What?#

Ronnie nodded to Cordy's question, "Yeah, he guessed you girls had something come up, so the man brought over a change of clothes. Said he was going to take a shower here, and be ready for when 'Third Eye Blind' shows up for their sound checks."

#Well, okay. Oh, tell him we'll be coming tonight for him and the band, will you?# Cordelia told him. #It's been a hell of a night over here, and we have to get some sleep ourselves.#

"Sure thing, Cordelia," the bartender replied. "Betcha he'll be glad to hear that, too."

---

**1327 Prescott Street, San Francisco, California.**

**A bit later**

Piper walked up Dan's steps worriedly. The man had split during the fight with the warlock, and since he had caller ID, wouldn't answer the phone when she'd called.

She rang the bell, and when Dan finally opened the door Ms. Halliwell said timidly, "Uh hi..."

Dan shook his head, and started to close the door at once. "Piper, I really don't feel like talking right now."

She stopped him. "Wait, wait, wait. We're gonna have to talk sometime-"

"No, we don't," Dan told her quickly. "I don't know how you expect me to react to your secret, but I don't...I'm really sorry you told me. I wish you never did, I wish I never saw what I saw. I never imagined things like...that...even existed."

"Dan..."

"Please, just go away," Dan told her. "I don't wanna know anymore, and I don't wanna know anymore about you." And with that said, he quickly shut the door in her face.

---

**Halliwell Manor Living Room.**

**A few minutes later**

Genie and Leo were with Prue and Cordelia, the two sisters were sitting close together on the couch as they listened to what the magical being had to say. "So, wanna run that by me again?" Cordy asked.

"They call themselves the Council, and they're scary dudes," Genie told them. "Very high up on the evil food chain. And it's only gonna be a matter of time, before they send somebody else looking for you."

Prue understood. "Just means we're doing something right, if we got their attention."

The younger witch agreed. "Plus, it means that there's some method to all this wiccan madness, some...greater purpose. Guess it's nice to finally know..."

"Be careful what you wish for," Leo warned her.

"Oh, I am a reformed wish-a-holic, believe me. Even more than I was in Sunnydale!" Cordelia told him. "And just for the record? Call me Cordelia. All that 'Phoebe' stuff is now fully out of my system!"

"Well, speaking of wishes, you still got two left, you know," Genie informed her.

"Yes, we know and we already know what one of them is - if you're up to it, that is," Prue responded. "We want to make you mortal. Keep you off of the Council's radar, once and for all."

Leo nodded with a smile. "True freedom. And not just from the bottle, although mortality is the consequence."

"And feelings too," Cordelia pointed out to him. "Even the painful ones."

"That's okay," Genie said truthfully. "I think I'm ready, I'm feeling very sensitive these days." As Piper walked in from her talk with Dan, the genie said to the oldest sister, "Let me ask you something. Why would you do that for me? I mean, especially after I helped kill you..."

"Yeah, well, you also helped bring me back," Prue answered him. "And besides, once you're human, we don't have to worry about you tricking us again."

"But there's one wish you have to grant first," Piper said, cutting into the conversation. "One that I need. I want Dan to have peace of mind, to forget about all the horrible things that have happened to him and he's learned about recently. About who we all really are. I wish that Dan could truly move on with his life, without consequences."

"Your wish is my command," Genie said happily as he snapped his fingers twice, and his genie metal choker vanished.

This time there was no reality shift, as Piper walked back outside and saw Dan in his front yard, picking up the paper. He looked over at his ex, and she waved to him as if it was just another day. He waved back, oblivious now of all that had transpired in the last 24 hours.

The genie came out to join her on the front step. "No tricks, right?" Piper asked seriously.

"No tricks. I promise," Genie crossed his heart. "I've got no powers anymore."

Genie then listened to all the sounds of nature, and the city around them. Soaking it all in, and adjusting to the little things. Finally coming to terms with the fact, that he was human now.

After a minute he grinned, walked slowly down the stone steps and off into his new mortal life. Piper just headed back inside, to see her sisters and Leo in the entryway waiting for her.

"Well, that was an interesting couple of days," Prue commented.

"Felt like it was an interesting couple of years," Cordelia said with a yawn.

Leo looked up, as he heard the Elders jingling for him. "They're calling me, I've gotta go-"

Piper instantly shook her head. "Not so fast! If we're ever gonna make this work, I think I deserve to know a little bit more about you, don't you think?"

Leo stopped in mid-orb and asked, "What do you mean?"

Piper stepped up close to him. "I mean I'm going with you, Leo. I'd like to meet some of...them, up there."

"Are you sure?" Leo said slowly, not knowing if this is a good idea.

"Positive," Piper told him, as she put her arms around his neck. "Take me to your leader."

Cordelia looked at her, stunned. "Uh, Piper? Wh-wh-whatta?"

Piper looked back to her siblings. "Don't worry, I'll be back-" she managed to say, before she and her beloved both orbed out.

"Worried? I'm not worried," Cordelia looked to Prue for comfort. "I mean, of course they'll be back, right?"

Prue nodded. "Right, of course, I mean - why should we worry?"

Both remaining sisters then shared a 'look', just knowing something was going to go wrong - given how their lives seemed to work these days.

Cordelia just shook her head and mumbled a little to herself, as she walked away to her bedroom.

Prue looked at the still-open door, and with a flick of her finger closed it, without even touching it.

---

**P3 club, San Francisco, California.**

**Later that night**

Cordelia and Prue got to the club, about five minutes before the band was set to go on stage.

While Prue was dressed to take over for Xander tonight, having to both explain the situation and tell Harris he was going to have to manage P3 till Piper came back, Cordelia was dressed to the nines - and looked like a supermodel.

Many male eyes were fastened upon her lithe, bronzed form, as she walked through the club wearing a short blue dress; one with a high slit up the side, and a lot of cleavage showing though the web-like strings holding the dress together.

Cordelia Halliwell walked purposely through the crowd and came up behind Xander, and instantly smacked him upside the back of the head.

"OWW!" Harris yelled, as he spun around to look at his attacker. "Cordy? What the hell was that for?"

"That was for making me worry about you! My God, that's TWICE now you've disappeared into oblivion on me!" Ms. Halliwell told him, before she grabbed her lover and pulled him into a very throaty and soul-searing kiss.

When they came up for air the brunette woman added, "And that's for always being here, for me and my sisters..."

"Okayyyy..." Xander said, rather bemused, before he gave her a full once-over. "I don't think I've ever seen that dress before, have I?"

"I was saving it for a special occasion," Cordy replied, as she took his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor.

As the music started, Cordelia started to give her boyfriend a sexy dance - one that blew the previous one he'd gotten from Buffy years ago, completely out of the water.

A little freaked though, Xander soon pulled her over to the side into the Charmed Ones' special alcove. "All right, 'Phoebe', talk to me-"

"Don't," Ms. Halliwell said at once, putting a finger to his lips. "I'm over all that. For better or worse, my name is Cordelia. I'm your Cordelia, sweetheart."

They kissed again, Xander loving every second of it of course. Finally he asked, "Okay, mind telling me what I've missed out on this time...?"

The former Chase girl explained, as briefly as possible. "So, even though the memories are all pretty much gone now...guess I've gotten my wish. I know what it woulda been like, if I'd been raised Phoebe Halliwell - and never known you."

Xander was silent for a moment. "So what was this second chance at life like?"

Cordy shook her head. "Some parts of it were good, some parts of it weren't. I was raised by my grandmother in a loving home...but I was a real handful for her, I'm sure. As for my sisters - growing up...oh, Piper and I were inseparable, but Prue and I never got along even though I loved them both with all my heart. Oh, when I was eighteen? I took off to New York for six months...big mistake! When I..."

This time, Xander put a finger to her lips. "I get the picture. Uh, but what about me? You said I was dead in that timeline...what happened?"

The young woman was uncomfortable, but eventually confessed, "I called Sunnydale earlier today...apparently, Jesse had a bit of a problem there for a while. No one knew who he was, in that new reality...they all thought he was still a vampire, and tried to kill him..."

Harris smirked, "Yeah - betcha that was a barrel of laughs for him, I'm sure. But come on, sweetheart, quit stalling. What happened to me?"

She sighed, "The day we first kissed in Buffy's basement...? That bug man killed you when you were all alone, then and there."

Oddly, Xander didn't seem upset about that. "So what you're saying is, I'd have been dead for nearly four years if I'd never met you. Is that right?"

"Yeah."

"Then, I owe you my life. But still - after everything over the past two years here in San Francisco...I already knew that!" Xander said with a small smile.

They kissed again, melting into each other's arms and trying to suck out each other's tonsils. Finally they pulled apart as Xander said, "Have I told you that I love you, lately?"

"Well, yeah. 'Cause nothing says 'I love you' better than licking whipped cream off someone's bare chest," the woman said mischievously, recalling their fun-filled night after helping saving Dawn and the world in Sunnydale.

But Xander didn't smile. "Seriously, though. I do love you. Hell, I love you so much that I thank God we got back together, almost every time I wake up in the morning. Living with you and your sisters...it's the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Cordy...I'm, I'm...I'm gonna ask you to marry me when we're both ready, because I want to spend the rest of my life with you. To be your husband one day, and the father of your children..."

Harris suddenly looked embarrassed, as he saw her expression. "Okay, well, I-I-I gotta get back to work, so - I better go. I just thought you'd like to know all that..."

Ms. Halliwell was stunned, both at his offer and the declaration of his feelings; the memories surfacing of what Piper and Prue had told her nearly a year ago, regarding her future marriage to this guy. She and Xander had both obviously come a long way, from the spoiled princess and the high school clown they'd once been.

And later, back at the manor, the young witch found a very appropriate way to respond to Xander's words – one that involved oysters and ice cubes...

TBC...


	10. Chapter 9

**Author's Notes:** Again, thanks to the transcript people. Also, since as stated I will not be redoing every single episode of Charmed in this fanfic, lest it become 'the never-ending story', the 'Previously on Second Life' thing will be making a major comeback! This chapter touches on season 3 Charmed eps "The Honeymoon's Over", "Magic Hour", "Once Upon A Time", "All Halliwell's Eve", "Sight Unseen", "Power Outage", "Sleuthing With The Enemy", "We All Scream For Ice Cream", "Blinded By The Whitelighter".

**Chapter Nine**

**P3 club, San Francisco, California.**

**Friday, June 22nd 2001**

**Previously on Second Life...**

Prue just looked at the prodigal sister, dumbfounded; she who along with Leo, had just returned from the whitelighter realm up above. "One day? You're kidding, right? Piper, you've been gone for a month!"

"What are you talking about?" Piper demanded, as she looked through the club's supply lists that evening.

"Here!" Prue said, as she picked up the newspaper. "See, check the date!"

Piper's eyes grew wide. "You can't be serious, how is this possible?" She looked at her sister and said with a mini-shrug, "Well, I guess time moves a little bit differently up there..."

"Ya think?" Prue asked sarcastically. "Oh, and you might also want to think of giving Xander a raise. Because he's been running around like a headless chicken for you, taking care of P3 for weeks! And before I forget, you should add his name to the list of people who can order stuff for this place."

"I thought I already did that," Piper replied vaguely, as she looked at the order sheets. Her eyes narrowed, "He had to use petty cash to get everything?"

Prue sighed, "What do you think happened, when the distributors refused to take his orders? Without a power of attorney, he was just another employee around here. I tried to fake your signature, but since they demanded to talk to you in person..."

"Speaking of which, did I tell you about the part where the Elders wanted to talk to me in person - just so they could tell me that Leo and I have to stop seeing each other?" Piper had a very annoyed look on her face.

---

**A dark alley behind a rave club, San Francisco, California.**

**Later that night**

Inspector Darryl Morris leaned into Prue, after the Charmed One and her youngest sister had helped him on a murder case. "You better decide fast. Here comes the ADA."

They turned to see a tall, good-looking man walk up to them. "Ladies. My name is Cole Turner, and I'm the Assistant District Attorney assigned to this case. I was wondering if either of you saw what happened here?"

(Hello, salty goodness!) Cordelia thought at once. Then Cordy, in what she would later claim was a reflex left over from her high school days, thrust her hand into the air. "I did!"

Cole Turner, a.k.a. Belthazor just smiled at her antics. (So, we finally meet face-to-face, at last...)

----

**Cordelia and Xander's bedroom, Halliwell Manor.**

**Saturday, June 23rd 2001**

**7:25am**

Xander woke slowly, but he quickly realized two things. First, he didn't have any of the blankets covering him, and second, Cordelia was not laying next to him. He rolled over and looked around, but saw nothing. "Cordy?"

Harris then saw something as he glanced up, and swore. "Holy shit!"

Cordelia was still soundly sleeping with the covers over her…a few inches from the ceiling.

Prue came into the room in a hurry after she heard Xander's shout. "Demon?" she asked, half-dressed.

"Nope," Xander replied as he pointed upward.

"Holy shit!" Prue said as well, at the sight of her youngest sister turning over in midair.

"Can you get her down?" Xander asked.

Prue tried to use her powers, but failed to do as Xander asked. "It's like something is pushing to keep her up there..."

"Something that's stronger than your power?" Harris asked, worried.

Prue stepped closer. "Yeah. I think it's her."

"Since when can Cordy levitate?" Xander asked.

"Since now…" Prue told him simply, as Cordelia stirred.

The young woman then screamed as soon as her eyes opened. "Not funny, Prue!" she glared downwards

"Ah, Cor?" Xander said with a growing smile on his face, coming over so that she could see him. "Prue's not doing this. You are!"

"What do you mean she's-" Cordelia started to say, before she and the sheets fell hard back on the bed. "OW!" the young woman complained, as she briefly bounced up and down.

"That's my Cordy. Doesn't know her own strength!" Xander wisecracked, and then ran out of the room at the sight of his girlfriend's glare.

----

**Barnes and Nobel Bookstore, San Francisco, California.**

**Monday, June 25th 2001**

Things had gotten...interesting, ever since Leo and Piper had come back from the heavenly realm.

The whitelighter couldn't bear the thought of losing his soul mate, anymore than the witch wanted to lose her guardian angel. So in order to get around the Elders' orders, he proposed to Piper in the toilet.

(How romantic,) Xander had thought whilst shaking his head, as he and Cordelia shamelessly eavesdropped. (How am I ever gonna top this, when I ask Cordy to marry me one day...)

In any case, after vanquishing several demons - with Cole's covert assistance, as part of his master plan to destroy the Charmed Ones from within - Piper had accepted Leo's offer of marriage; and now, the secret wedding preparations were underway.

With a perfect yet fake smile on his face, Cole looked down to see the title of Piper's book: 'How to Keep Your Marriage'. "So who's the lucky guy - or more importantly, who's the lucky sister?"

The store employee put the books in separate bags next to each other on the counter, as the middle sister hesitated. "Me...me, me. Mimi, our cousin," Piper lied. "Our cousin Mimi!"

Cordy fake-laughed at once, trying to cover for the lame untruth. "Good old cousin Mimi!"

Cole played dumb towards them, but used his powers to magically switch the book bags with a simple hand gesture. He took Piper's as she took his, "Well, I should probably get going. I've sort of got plans to accidentally bump into another eyewitness over at The Gap."

Cordy laughed a little. "Cute."

Cole smiled at her, which amazingly enough was not an act. "I get cuter." He then tipped his head to them, as he left the store.

"Cute?" Piper demanded. "Cordelia, why do you keep flirting with this guy? Need I remind you of your boyfriend waiting at home?"

The youngest Halliwell just looked annoyed. "Oh, come on! I'm in a serious relationship, yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm blind or dead! Besides, I've got to keep up my 'twisting men around my little finger' skills! It's not like I'm actually ever going to do anything with the guy-"

"So, you wouldn't mind me telling Xander how we met the cute ADA again today?" Piper said with light smirk.

Cordelia quickly shook her head. "You wouldn't…would you?" she asked, worried. "Because Xander knows he's the only one I really want-"

"Oh, relax!" Piper scolded her. "Come on, forget it, we have places to be. This wedding isn't just gonna make itself happen, you know..."

Out in the parking lot, Cole sat in his car, looking at the titles of all of Piper's books. "Well, this could be useful..."

----

**Halliwell Manor, San Francisco, California.**

**The next night**

Everyone was in place, on the eve of the nuptial ceremony - which had been deliberately scheduled to occur during an eclipse, to hide it from the view of the whitelighter Elders.

Prue and Cordelia were in their bridesmaid dresses. Leo was in his tux, with Xander standing beside him riding shotgun. The ghost of Penelope Halliwell was ready to officiate; and Cordelia started to dream of her own big day, as Piper came down the stairs and joined her beloved on center stage.

But then everyone in the room, and most especially Piper, looked on in horror as Leo was suddenly and forcefully orbed up away to the Elders, against his will.

"NOOOO!" the bride screamed, as she collapsed crying.

Well, strictly speaking it went against all the rules for a demon to ever tip off the Elders about anything; but then Cole for one doubted that the Triad would hold all this against him, somehow.

---

**Halliwell Manor Entryway, San Francisco, California.**

**July, 2001**

In Xander's opinion, there was nothing like a fight against trolls in order to save a fairy queen and a little girl-turned-fairy from getting burned to death, to really make him miss Sunnydale sometimes. (Ah, vampires. Those were the days...and oh God, did I actually just think that?)

In any case, as he wearily climbed up the stairs to go to bed, Leo appeared in the manor with a characteristic burst of blue-tinged white lights.

"Am I dreaming?" Piper asked softly, upon seeing him.

"No," Leo answered her the same way.

Piper instantly ran to her beloved and hugged him for dear life. "I had a dream that you weren't coming back. That wasn't a dream either, was it?"

Leo shook his head, as Cordy and Prue came over. "No, it wasn't. They had forbidden me from ever seeing you again. But now, I don't know what you said or did but they said you showed great courage and great faith, enough to make them reconsider."

"Does that mean you guys can get married now?" Cordelia asked.

Prue elbowed her at once. "Ugh..."

"What?" Cordelia demanded. "I wanna know!"

"Not yet," Leo replied, before shifting his gaze back to Piper. "It means they're giving us a chance to prove we can make it work."

---

**Halliwell Manor, San Francisco, California.**

**October 31st, 2001**

The months had passed quickly, or so it seemed.

Cordelia had started up college again, after summer vacation was over. Piper and Xander continued running the club, while Prue continued with her photography career. Leo continued doing whitelighter-y things, while Cole...

He just slowly but surely kept insinuating his way into the lives of the Charmed Ones.

Tonight though, it was All Hallow's Eve. And Cordelia looked at a store-bought window decoration in disgust. "Hooked-nosed hags riding broomsticks? That's what we're celebrating?" she asked Xander. "Personally, I am offended by the representation of witches and popular culture!"

The young man, who was dressed as a one-eyed pirate, just marveled at how much like Willow Rosenberg the blond-streaked brunette was sounding like. "Issues, much?"

"Yeah, right," Piper a.k.a. Glinda the good witch replied from nearby. "That's why you're dressed as the mistress of the dark."

Cordy, who was indeed dressed as Elvira, did a little spin in her tight outfit. "This costume happens to be a protest statement!"

Prue, dressed in a black dress with butterflies attached, just grinned as she ate a mini-Snickers bar. "I am so impressed that you can make a protest statement, and show so much cleavage all at the same time!"

"Thanks," Cordelia grinned back, as she suddenly decided to check her makeup in a hand mirror; reminding the former Zeppo of what she'd been like in high school. "It's always been a gift."

"For your boyfriends, maybe!" Prue said, grabbing Xander's chin and making him look up.

---

**Halliwell Manor Foyer.**

**Not long afterwards**

Prue used her power and the marauding Grimlocks flew away into the living room, nailing the brick fireplace dead on target.

"Didn't we vanquish them already?" Cordelia demanded, as she caught her breath.

"There could be an entire colony of them somewhere…" Xander started, but was cut off by Leo.

"That's not what I wanted to warn you about."

Prue looked back to him. "What?" She then jumped, as a large blue vortex opened only a foot from her. "What the hell-?"

"I'm guessing he meant that!" Xander said, as he pulled Cordelia away from the thing.

The two Grimlock demons got up, and charged back into the foyer. Piper saw them and quickly froze them, "Leo, what the hell is-"

But she didn't get to finish the question, as all three sisters were suddenly sucked into the vortex. "Cordy!" Xander called, as he was somehow resolutely pushed away by the portal.

"Wait! They don't know what's happening!" Leo yelled upwards to the Elders.

---

**A dark cave, Virginia.**

**October 31st, 1670**

Having arrived into the past and been forced to flee the witch hunters of the era, Prue, Piper, and Cordelia were brought into the lair with bags over their heads. After a moment, some local women took the bags off.

A woman named Eva bowed to the trio in greeting. "Blessed be. Our prayers have been answered. We need your help."

Prue looked at her former captor. "Excuse me?"

"Forgive me for the manner in which you were brought here," Eva said sincerely. "But we had to make sure you were who we had sent for. This doorway would've told us if you were evil," the local witch told them, as she pointed to the magickified entrance to the cave.

Prue as the eldest took charge. "Alright, wait, uh, who do you think we are?"

"The most powerful witches of all time, of course," Eva replied.

"One hell of a lucky guess," Cordelia commented.

"And you are?" Prue asked the 17th century woman.

"I am Eva," she told them. "A midwife, a witch, a free citizen of the colony of Virginia. These good women are my coven."

The other women handed the Charmed Ones period clothing, to help them blend in. Cordelia just looked at hers in horror. "I have to wear this thing? Oh...thank God my boyfriend isn't here, 'cause right now he'd be laughing his ass off!"

"We don't have much time. No one can suspect that you've come to us from the future. Witches must not have to hide in your time," Eva said, looking at their Halloween costumes. "What year are you from?"

"Uh, 2001," Piper told her.

"I'm afraid to even ask, what year is it now?" Cordelia wondered.

The answer instantly made her want to shudder.

---

**P3 club, San Francisco, California.**

**November 1st, 2001**

Just before midnight, having been able to safeguard Charlotte and Melinda Warren against Cole Turner/Belthazor's machinations, the Halliwell sisters had arrived back to the future. And upon arriving home, they'd had to vanquish the Grimlock demons once and for all.

Now though, the Charmed family was at their nightclub, trying to relax and unwind a little. When all of a sudden, Xander spied Cole entering the premises, dressed as an angel with a white robe and halo...

"Hey, Cole," the young man said simply.

"Mr. Harris, hello again," the lawyer said in reply.

Now Xander knew he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but every time he'd bumped into this shyster over the last few months, the feeling that something was...off about the guy hit him more intensely than ever, on all occasions. It was nothing he could put his finger on; just a Hellmouth-honed instinct that said Cole was trouble. "Meeting someone here for the party?"

Turner quickly replied, "No, uh, I just wanted to get away from the office for a while, let my hair down for once. You know how it is..."

Xander didn't say anything for a moment, and the half-demon stared at the so-called pirate with a seething inner hatred. Ever since Cordelia had done that thing with the apple peel in 1670 to show her who her one true love would be, and it had broken in half to form an X, Cole's desire to throttle his mortal nemesis had returned with a vengeance.

"Yeah, I guess," Harris finally said. "So, uh, the whole angel thing is the come-as-you-aren't look for tonight, I take it?"

"You mean this?" Cole gestured to himself. "Well, yeah, I suppose. I'm no angel-"

"Neither am I."

**----**

**Halliwell Manor Solarium.**

**Late November, 2001**

Not all that surprisingly, Prue hadn't taken well the news that the Triad had sent a demon back to 1670 to wipe out their entire family line, by turning Melinda Warren evil. And for his part, Cole hadn't taken well the news that the Triad was sending in another demon to 'help' him, named Troxa.

Still, Troxa was taken care of, as was another empath-cursed demon found by the Charmed Ones; who around this point finally learned of the existence of someone called 'Belthazor'. All that aside however, it was a demon named Andras - an anger demon - that had caused trouble in Paradise tonight.

Prue finally looked to Xander, who was nursing a sore arm. "And God, do I owe you an apology!"

"Don't worry about it," Harris said with a shrug. "I've been taken over before-"

"No," Prue said, very upset. "No matter how angry I was, I had no right to toss you around the room…and into the glass table!"

"It's okay, Prue, really," Xander told the older sister. "If I had a dime for every time I got possessed, or a super-powered girl threw me around the room…heck, I'd be able to buy most of the state!"

When no one said anything else, Cordy looked around. "So, do you think we have our powers back?"

Out of nowhere the tall, red and black demon known as Belthazor burst through the patio doors.

"Oh!" Prue yelled in surprise, when she tried to use her powers on him and got nothing. "Piper!"

Piper also tried, but similarly achieved nothing. "Mine isn't working either!"

"But we worked on our issues!" Cordelia yelled, as she got into a fighting stance. Xander moved forward as well, wanting to protect his girl, but the former cheerleader held him back. "No, you're hurt. Let me save your ass every now and then, okay?"

Leo ran up behind the hulking demon and smashed him in the back with a wooden chair, but that didn't even seem to faze the half-breed. "Oh, damn!" the whitelighter said simply, as Belthazor hit him in the face, sending the man smashing into the wall.

"Leo!" Piper yelled out, at seeing her boyfriend sink to the ground.

"No, wait!" Prue said, as she took a step forward. "You guys run, I'll hold him off-"

Cordelia shook her head at once. "Hell, no! Prue, we're in this together-"

"The Book, it's changed back!" Xander called out suddenly, as all three sisters took positions side by side to defend each other. The three yellow symbols had moved back into the triquetra shape on the Book of Shadows, indicating that Andras's work had been undone.

The Power of Three had been restored.

"All right!" Prue called out confidently. She then used her powers to tear the small knife the enemy demon had out of his hands. Belthazor instantly got enraged, and tried to throw an energy ball at her.

Prue halted it with her power, and at once sent it flying back at Belthazor.

And to the surprise of everyone in the room, another demon phased out of him and onto the ground when the energy ball blasted into the half-demon.

"Okay, that's new," Prue said, as Belthazor looked around as if confused for a moment.

"Demon with extra demon filling," Cordelia added in surprise.

Belthazor turned to Andras at once, very pissed. "Nobody crosses me!"

He threw another energy ball right into the other demon, and it screamed - as the mighty Andras burned alive. After that, Belthazor - still pissed - picked up the knife, wanting to kill all three witches and their annoying little twerp in his unbridled rage. "And now-"

Cordelia didn't waste a second, as she did a flying spin kick into the demon's face.

"ARRGHH!" Belthazor yelled as he threw the knife at her face, but Piper froze it in midair only inches from the youngest sister.

"Whoa," Cordelia said in awe, as the knife just hung there way too close - and Xander dragged her out of its fight path.

Prue quickly astral-projected herself behind Belthazor, and kicked him hard in the back. Piper moved at the same time, and snatching the knife out of the air sliced into the demon's flesh. A sickening 'plop' was heard, as a piece of bloody Belthazor skin fell to the floor.

Cole grabbed her by the arm and hit her square in the face. Instantly, the woman fell to the ground. Belthazor roared as he then grabbed Piper's arm, twisted it and hit her in the face as well. As the demon went for the knife, Prue astral-projected back in her body. She at once used her power to hurl Belthazor away, crashing out through one of the windows.

Prue and Cordelia ran to the ruined window right away, only to find the half-demon already vanished.

"Damn it!" Cordelia yelled. "He's gone..."

"At least for now," Prue said, as the sisters began to tend to each other's wounds.

----

**Halliwell Manor Attic.**

**Early December, 2001**

Well, Prue was quite right; Belthazor was gone only temporarily. Wounded, Cole had managed to convince Cordelia - who by now had ended up thinking of the lawyer as a very good friend - to help him somehow; and she in turn had convinced Leo to try to heal the half-breed.

But then, the truth had come out; and the situation when Cole had briefly taken Cordy hostage hadn't been pretty to behold. The vanquishing potion made from the bloody Belthazor flesh having become necessary to use, in no uncertain terms.

That night Xander walked into the Charmed Ones' upstairs lair, to find Cordelia sitting on the bench looking out onto the darkened street. "How you doing?" the young man asked, as he walked across the attic.

"I'm not sure what to feel," Cordelia replied, still looking out the window. "I mean, I know you and Prue never really liked him, but I kind of thought Cole could be a good friend to us…then he goes all major demon on our asses?"

"Hey, sweetheart, don't forget you're talking to the same guy who once fell for a human-looking giant preying mantis lady!" Harris reminded his girlfriend. "You can't always tell by appearances who's the good guy, and who's the giant evil demon."

"Yeah, I guess," Cordelia said, as she finally turned to him. "I just hate losing an innocent-"

"Innocent?" Xander looked at her. "Cordy, Cole was a demon. The same demon that's apparently had us in his sights, for the last 18 months-"

"He was half-human, Xander. Just like that guy Angel had in his group, once," the young woman told him. "Doesn't that mean Cole was half-innocent?"

"Not necessarily. Humans can be just as evil as demons, if not more so," Xander instantly replied, with a hard look in his eyes. "Just look at September 11, or all the murders we heard about on the news last night!"

"Oh, hell," Cordelia sighed. "The thing is, I don't even know for sure if I killed him in that mausoleum! Cole was halfway through that shimmering thing he does, after he killed that bounty hunter Krell - he could still be out there, just a little more hurt and pissed."

"Until we know for sure, we'll just have to keep our guard up," Xander told her. "If he does come back, you guys'll be ready for him-"

"We'll be ready for him," Cordelia corrected that statement.

"Thanks for the thought, Cor, but I've made my peace with all that," Xander said honestly. "Look, I'm not a Charmed One, or a witch, or a whitelighter, or any other thing in that Book over there. And I accept that. But that doesn't mean I can't help kick ass every now and then!"

"I could give you powers, let you see how the other half lives for a while," Cordy suggested. "I could do a spell-"

"Hell, no!" Xander laughed. "Don't you remember what happened with that stupid love spell, back in Sunnydale? Or that time you tried to spell yourself smart? Magic and me don't mix too well. Look, if something comes my way, then it does. If not…I'm fine with that too. Either way, I'm still a member of this family, and that's all I care about."

"Okay," Cordelia told him. "But please, don't mention that whole 'family' thing too much, alright? It makes me sound like I'm having sex with my brother! And what we did the other night is so not what family members do…except maybe in Mississippi..."

---

**P3 club, San Francisco, California.**

**Mid-January, 2002**

The two Charmed Ones watched from their alcove, as Xander talked with their father.

It had been one hell of a day for the Halliwell family. They had been trapped in a demon catcher ice cream truck, of all things, and by mistake had rescued three demon children…and killed the good guy guardian of the prison.

Then Prue had recalled having another encounter with the ice cream truck as a child, way back during 1982. And her father had been there with her…

She'd loathed to even think that Victor, the so-called father who'd just up and left one day, could help her and her sisters at all. But then it had been revealed that since his very brief appearance whilst Xander had been in Sunnydale, that Cordelia had been corresponding with him via email. And that he was in San Francisco now on business.

A tense meeting had also taken place where Victor had revealed that the same day little Prue had had her first encounter with the ice cream truck, was the day he had left his family. And that hadn't sat well with any of the Charmed Ones.

"Relax, Cordy," Prue told her youngest sister, focusing on the present again. "Xander's fine."

"I know," Cordelia replied, watching the two men. Even though she was over 21 years old now, she still felt as anxious and nervous as a teenage girl hoping that Daddy would approve of her first boyfriend. "But I just hope that it doesn't slip out..."

"What doesn't slip out?" Prue asked.

"That me and Xander have sex sometimes."

Prue laughed. "What do you mean, sometimes? These days you two are like the Energizer bunny!"

Cordelia looked back at her, annoyed. "It's just that I never told Dad how we're having premarital sex! All I told him is that Xander's the one I'm planning to spend the rest of my life with...God, I just hope the big dummy doesn't start flapping his jaw about all that!"

"Well," Prue said thoughtfully. "He's not an idiot, so I hardly think Xander's going to bring up your bedroom habits to our father."

Cordelia's eyebrow shot up. "Our father?"

"Yeah, I said it, okay?" Prue sighed. "I would have been a real bitch not to, after everything we've gone through recently."

"I guess," Cordelia agreed. "Although I still find it hard to believe that he saved your life when you were a kid, and then Grams bitched him out for it!"

"Makes you wonder if any mortal/witch marriage can really work," Prue ignored the look her sister gave her. "He knew about the demons and magic all along, and it still didn't work..."

"Hey, Xander and I broke the mold when we started to date," Cordelia informed her. "And if we have to completely shatter it to make a marriage work…then so be it!"

At that moment Xander came back over to them, and he didn't look happy. "Hey, guys."

Cordelia spun around to face him. "What's wrong? Oh my God, you and Dad didn't get along?"

Xander shrugged as he sat on the couch next to Prue. "No, we got on fine apart from his weird thing about how evil whitelighters are, but…"

"But what?" Cordelia pressed.

Xander just shook his head. "Cordy, what happened to him - it shouldn't have happened. If I ever see that ghost of your grandmother again, then I am going to have to have a really LONG talk with her!" His anger sudden rose, "She and your mom knew before you were born that Phoebe Halliwell was going to be kidnapped and become Cordelia Chase, right?"

"Yeah, when we went back in time to 1980," Prue added.

"Right," Xander said. "Bottom line, they knew what was going to happen, but didn't think it was worth telling the damn father of the kid! He and Patty eventually split up for good, while they were still looking for their daughter..."

He looked right at Cordy. "Cor, I've told you before I've got no problem not being the one with the powers…but I swear to God, NOTHING like that had better come between us in the future!"

Cordelia nodded as she reached over and took his hand. "Xander. I promise, that will never happen."

"I hope so, Cor, I really do," Xander exhaled. "I mean, with what everything that happened between me and Willow, sure - all that doesn't make me any kind of saint here, and I'm the last person who should judge their actions in any way. But what happened between your mom and dad was just incredibly wrong, on way too many levels..."

---

**Halliwell Manor, San Francisco, California.**

**Later that night**

Cordelia was sitting in the kitchen typing up a school report on her laptop, when she spotted the fact that she'd gotten a new email.

"Oh, you can not be serious!" she deadpanned, sitting back.

"What?" Leo asked, just as he was getting a soda.

"My real dad just left…" Cordelia said, more than a little surprised. "And now the guy who hardly talked to me as kid is emailing me?"

"Your adopted father?" Leo asked, coming over. "What does he say?"

Cordelia thought for a moment. "You know what?" she told the whitelighter. "I don't give a damn." She highlighted the unopened email and hit 'delete'.

"You don't even want to know?" Leo asked, surprised. "Cordelia, Prue forgave Victor…maybe you should give your other dad another chance."

"No thanks," Cordelia said quickly. "I've put the life of Cordelia Chase behind me, on account of that life had nothing good going for me save one thing. And right now, he's sleeping on the couch in front of the TV!"

----

**Halliwell Manor Kitchen.**

**Late January, 2002**

The two oldest sisters were in the kitchen, each making something different. Piper was making breakfast, and Prue was making an awful-smelling potion.

"One teaspoon of baking powder," Piper commented as she cooked.

"One teaspoon bat guano," Prue said with a grin. "Ooh-hoo. It's starting to bubble!"

"And stink," Piper told her. "Couldn't you have made that potion after breakfast?"

Prue shook her head, as she tossed another item in the pot. "No, I'm sorry, but Cordy has a meeting with that D.A. investigator, and I didn't want her to go there unarmed."

Leo came walking in from the dining room. "Morning…whoa, what is that smell?"

Prue almost giggled. "That would be the lovely smell of Piper's breakfast."

"Hope you're hungry," Piper said as she mixed the batter.

"Uh, starving," Leo replied, wondering if the smell really was the breakfast.

Piper looked very annoyed at him. "Probably 'cause you missed dinner last night," she commented sourly.

Leo groaned. "Piper, I already said I was sorry I was late, okay? It's not like I was out carousing with the boys. I was out being a force of good in the universe."

"A true force of good would have called, or at least orbed," his girlfriend pointed out.

"I couldn't!" Leo protested. "Not under the circumstances."

Piper gave him the evil eye. "Which were?"

"Work related," Leo said quickly. "Which means I can't talk about it. I mean, anything that happens between me and a charge is confidential. You know that."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Piper groused, before she nicked her finger with a knife she was using. "Ow!"

Leo was up off his seat in an instant, and at her side. "Oh, let me see that!" He took her hand and held his above the tiny bleeding cut.

When the whitelighter was done healing her, Piper pointed at him - still upset. "You know, this 'all for the good of mankind' stuff really puts me in an awful position. I have no choice but to be 'understanding'!"

Leo grinned and leaned against the counter. "You just have to accept that you're engaged to somebody that works for the CIA."

"Oh, funny!" the middle sister scoffed.

Xander and Cordelia walked into the kitchen at that moment. "Wait, you also work for the CIA?" Cordelia asked, a little confused.

Prue looked at her youngest sister in amusement. "You know, ever since you became a blonde..."

Cordy pushed her colored bangs out of her face, annoyed. "Bite me, sis!"

"Sorry, but I'll leave that particular duty to Xander!" Prue said, still amused.

"Well, thank you…" Harris started to say, but was cut off by an elbow in the ribs from his girl.

Piper shook her head at all the antics and teasing. "Do you guys want something to eat before your meeting with Reece?"

Cordelia just shook her head, as she grabbed a cup of coffee. "Not hungry, too nervous."

Prue came around the counter and handed her a small blue vial of potion. "Alright, well, this'll help you with your nerves. Just place a drop in Reece's coffee, and it'll instantly out any demon. Reaction will cause his throat to constrict. So he starts choking, you run, got it?"

Cordelia took the vial in surprise. "Thanks. I hadn't even considered that Inspector Reece might be evil..."

"After Cole's Oscar-worthy performance these last few months? I sure as hell did," Xander spoke up.

---

**A deserted alley, Madrid, Spain.**

**The same time**

A young witch was running for her life from a dark-haired and very amused warlock. The evil creature threw a fireball at her, but she deflected it away with her power, causing it to explode against the brick wall.

"You can't hurt me," the witch said very firmly to her nemesis. "I can deflect your power!"

"All of them?" the warlock asked, still not concerned. He threw another fireball at her, but again she easily deflected it. It went backwards and hit the warlock head-on, vanquishing him quickly.

"Thank God," the witch said as a semi-prayer, as she breathed a sigh of relief.

But the warlock somehow reappeared behind her silently, and grabbed the startled witch. Her eyes instantly grew wide at the sight of a dagger at her throat.

"You know," the warlock hissed her right next to her ear. "The ability to clone myself is just one of the powers that I've collected over my years of killing witches. And now, I'm about to add one more!"

With little warning he stabbed the young witch right in the heart, killing her instantly. She fell down dead, as the damned thing felt the witch power come to him.

Amused, the warlock suddenly saw the blue-white sparkles of her 'guardian angel' appear. "You're too late, whitelighter. Your charge is dead!"

The female whitelighter looked on in horror, as the warlock laughed and blinked out of the alley. "Rosa!" the angel called, as she went without any real hope to try to heal her charge.

----

**Halliwell Manor Dining Room.**

**An hour later**

Piper was putting waffles on Leo's plate as she sad, "So I've got lunch with this guy from the Chronicle who wants to do a story on the club, and then I've got a meeting with these dot com start up guys that want to do an Internet thingy." She finally sat down next to him. "What are you doing today?"

"You know," Leo said, before he took a sip of orange juice. "Just the usual."

"Care to elaborate?" she tried to wheedle more out of her boyfriend.

"Piper..." Leo sighed at her question.

"Oh, come on!" Piper tried again. "Just a few details, a tidbit."

Leo quickly shook his head. "It's against the rules."

"Rules!" Piper said with disgust. "Yeah, see, this is my problem. Every time I turn around, we seem to be violating some stupid whitelighter ordinance."

"We just have to be careful, as long as we're under probation," he told her.

Piper didn't share his optimism "Which is never-ending. I don't know, Leo. I don't think they're ever gonna let us get married!"

"They will," Leo said firmly. "They have to. Nothing is gonna keep us apart, I promise."

After he said that, the star-crossed duo shared a look and move towards each other for a small kiss - when an orbing effect took place only inches behind them.

"Aah!" Piper yelped, as she jumped up.

"Natalie!" Leo said in surprise, at his fellow whitelighter's sudden appearance.

Natalie gave her friend a look that made Leo know how she knew him and Piper had been about to kiss. "Leo. Sorry to 'interrupt', but we've got a major problem on our hands." She held up the dagger that had killed her charge…

…at the same moment Prue ran in from the kitchen, after hearing Piper's startled scream. "Hey, I heard..."she trailed off as she saw the new person holding the blade above Leo.

"Ooh! Athame! Athame!" Prue moved to jump over the table, when Leo held up his hands quickly.

"No, no, no. It's okay, she's a whitelighter!" he quickly told the oldest sister. "Natalie and I go way back, we were rookies together. Actually, we fought together in World War Two…"

Natalie looked to Leo with distaste. "All your charges need to know is that I'm a whitelighter. This is not a social call; I've come to warn the Charmed Ones that a warlock just killed my most powerful charge with this athame."

Leo looked toward his old friend in grief. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"Thank you," Natalie said sadly. "But the real tragedy is that it didn't have to happen. I warned her to lay low, but she didn't listen. She always refused to let her magic interfere with her life…" Prue and Piper shared a look at that. "...and now a warlock has her power of deflection."

"Deflection?" Prue asked, concerned. "Wait a minute, does this mean he could deflect our powers?"

Natalie nodded. "Yes, which is why all whitelighters have been put on alert."

"We have?" Leo asked in surprise. "Why didn't I hear about this?"

"Because you missed this morning's staff meeting," Natalie told him, obviously miffed.

Piper laughed at that. "You have staff meetings?"

Natalie obviously didn't like the laughing comment. "With mandatory attendance."

Oddly enough, Leo looked like the proverbial high school kid caught without a hall pass. "Unless a charge is in need, which Piper was. I had to heal her!"

Piper looked at him in confusion for a moment, before getting it and holding up her index finger. "Right!"

Natalie gave them a disbelieving look. "I'll assume a demon attacked your finger, since healing is 'restricted' to such circumstances!"

Leo spoke up, "I believe the Charmed Ones deserve special attention."

Prue smiled at that comment, before Natalie scoffed. "I've heard rumors about such 'special' attention, and honestly, Leo…"

The woman suddenly started talking in a completely alien language, which sounded a lot like loud dolphin clicks. Whatever she actually said obviously upset Leo Wyatt though, who instantly responded in the same weird tongue.

Prue looked at her stunned sister. "Whitelighter-ese?"

Natalie fired something back at Leo in that language, but one word was clearly heard in English. 'Piper'.

"Well, I guess we know now what they're talking about," Piper scowled, now very much not liking this new whitelighter.

Prue interrupted the pair of angels. "All right, hang on! You guys can..." She tried and failed to copy their weird language. "…all you want. Me, I'm gonna look in the Book of Shadows, okay?"

Natalie nodded quickly. "I'll go with you. I got a look at the warlock, I might be able to identify him."

"Alright," Prue replied. "It's up in the attic."

Natalie gently stopped her. "Attic? You mean the 'altar' room, don't you?" When Prue looked at her in confusion, the whitelighter seemed to get upset again. "The rules are very clear. Every witch must keep their Book of Shadows in a sacred and protected spot!"

"O…kay," Prue replied. (And who made you the queen of the world?)

Leo instantly tried to play middleman. "Maybe you can bring the Book down here?" he asked Prue.

"Sure," Prue said, amused. She turned to Natalie, "Yeah, yeah, I'll just run up to the 'altar' room, which by the way, is right next to the 'potions lab', and I'll be right back!"

As she headed for the stairs, Leo picked up a strawberry - and instantly got a loud upset noise from Natalie. Chastened, he quickly dropped it back onto the plate.

Looking over to Piper, the male whitelighter commented sheepishly, "Not supposed to eat on the job."

Piper just rolled her eyes in disbelief.

----

**Alice's Family Diner, San Francisco, California.**

**The same time**

Cordelia Halliwell was sitting with the black and bald SFPD Inspector named Reece at a booth in the diner. He had a plate of eggs in front of him, while there was nothing in front of her. Xander was sitting at the counter just listening to the conversation, as he'd come in five minutes before Cordelia so as to not tip their hand.

"You sure you don't want something to eat?" Reece asked his companion.

Cordelia looked unsure. "No, I'm fine. Uh, actually, I would like a bagel. Thanks!"

Reece turned his back to Cordelia to talk to a waitress, "Uh, excuse me, miss. Can we have another bagel?"

Cordelia quickly poured some of the potion in his coffee, before Reece turned back to face her. "It's a nice place. It's crowded. I guess that's why you picked it. And that makes me think you're afraid of something."

The cop took a sip of his coffee and coughed. Cordelia and Xander instantly tensed up before Reece explained, "Allergies. So, so are you?"

"Am I what?" Cordelia felt both relieved and anxious. Relieved on account of Reece wasn't a demon, and anxious because the policeman couldn't just simply be vanquished now.

"Afraid."

Cordelia tried not to look nervous. "Afraid of Cole? No. Why should I be?"

Reece got a sour look on his face. "Well, there are several reasons. Not the least of which is he's a fraud, or a man who exists only on paper. Wormed his way into the D.A. office for reasons unknown, and who apparently has a very dark side..."

He showed her some photos of Cole's demonic altar that had been hidden within his apartment; which were not a pretty sight. "We found bloodstains on his carpet, and a hidden cabinet full of occult paraphernalia. Now, you're telling me you don't know anything about this?"

Cordy shook her head. "No...I mean, yes. I didn't know squat about any of this. Cole was just a friend, or so I thought!"

Reece had been with the SFPD long enough to know when a witness was lying to him. "Look, Miss Halliwell, it's like this. See, I think you know more than you're letting on, but you're scared. You're afraid that if I find out the truth, you're gonna get in trouble. Am I right?"

Cordelia didn't want to lie any more than she had to. So she said simply, "I wish I could help you, but I can't. I'm sorry. I really am."

She stood up and Reece said abruptly, "Uh, listen. Cole's the kind of man who knows how to cover his tracks, okay? If he's alive and you know something, he could hurt you. He could hurt your sisters, too-"

But it was pointless, as Cordelia left him behind. And completely unnoticed, Xander Harris left the counter after paying for his diet soda and quickly followed his girlfriend out.

----

**Halliwell Manor Conservatory.**

**A while later**

Prue and Piper were sitting on the wicker couch flipping through the Book of Shadows, while the two whitelighters stood on the other side. Prue read out of the Book, "The power of deflection is a witch's best shield against the forces of darkness."

"Unless the forces of darkness already have it," Piper said sourly. "In which case, it's the great shield against us."

Prue nodded and turned to the guardian angels, all business. "Alright, how did he get close enough to get it from such a powerful witch?"

"Maybe he wasn't working alone," Piper suggested.

Leo shrugged. "Or maybe he possesses the power-"

"-of cloning," Natalie said, finishing her friend's thought. "I was just thinking the same thing."

Leo nodded. "The ability to duplicate oneself, but..."

Natalie agreed with him. "...it can't be sustained for long periods of time."

Piper looked very annoyed at witnessing that. With false amusement she said, "That's cute how you guys finish each other's sentences."

Natalie didn't pick up on her mood. "It happens when you work with someone for as long as we have."

"I…see that," Piper said, her mood growing darker.

Leo, just as any smart boyfriend would, knew when his girlfriend was getting pissed. So he tried to get the topic back onto work, "Maybe we should check the Book!" the guy said quickly. "See if the warlock stole the cloning power too."

"Alright, cross-reference cloning with warlock," Prue said as she held two fingers up over the book. The pages started to flip fast through the entire volume, until it stopped on a page with a dark face.

"Here it is. A warlock named Eames. Seems that, uh, eleven years ago, he murdered a witch in Glasgow and stole her power of cloning." She looked to Natalie. "Do you recognize him?"

Natalie's voice got a little colder. "That's him."

Prue paused for a moment before she spoke again. "Uh, well, cloning and deflection are not his only tricks." She told the others as she read his bio, "It says here that Eames also killed a witch in Kenya in '89 and took the power of…transmogrification?"

Piper shared a look with her sister. "Trans what?" Prue just shrugged back at her.

Leo and Natalie spoke at the same time. "The ability to change shape or form."

Prue noticed her sister's look of anger. "Okay, so, uh, what's his master plan?"

Natalie looked at her, somewhat surprised. "What makes you think he has one?"

Prue looked at her as if it should be easy to see. "Well, the time and geography between kills suggest that he was hunting these particular witches, right? It's not sport, it's strategy."

Piper saw what she meant. "So all we have to do to catch him is to figure out what that plan is, and then beat him to the punch."

"Right," Prue told her. "Or we can try and take him out first before he even has a chance."

Natalie obviously believed they could be correct. "Leo, we should discuss the best way to approach this situation." Then a little more unpleasant-sounding than intentional, she told the two witches, "I mean, in private. If you wouldn't mind going into another room, please."

Both sisters look at her upset at that almost-order. But Piper was the first one to reply to it. "Or how about this idea?" she said, as she waved her hands.

Prue tried and failed to stifle a laugh as Natalie froze in place.

Leo looked at her, more than a little surprised. "Piper, what are you doing?"

"Getting irritated!" was the reply. "Who put Lady Attitude in charge?"

Leo tried to assure them, "She's not in charge."

"Really?" Piper replied, not buying it. "'Cause she's sure acting like it. I thought whitelighters were supposed to guide, not dictate?"

"She's just trying to help," Leo told her.

Prue looked at him. "How? By slowing us down and second-guessing us?"

Leo hesitated for a moment. "Introducing the concept of caution and organisation into the manor isn't a bad idea. Natalie's considered one of the top whitelighters up there."

"Oh yeah, I bet they love her," Piper said sarcastically. "She never met a rule she didn't like."

"Leo, we already have a whitelighter," Prue told their guide. "Besides, I don't really like anybody who doesn't trust us."

Leo tried to play peacemaker. "You've misread her. Natalie is cautious because she just lost a charge, and she's worried the same thing is gonna happen to you. You can't question her heart."

Piper groaned, "Okay, how about everything else?"

Leo nods. "I'll talk to her, okay? Now please, would you unfreeze her?"

Piper gave him a Look as she got up. "Sure!" she said as she stormed out of the room. The witch flipped her hand on the way and Natalie suddenly blinked, confused. "There you go!"

Natalie cast a glance down to Prue. "Wait a minute, what's going on?"

"I gotta go talk to Piper," Leo replied, as he took off after his girlfriend.

Natalie sent him an icy look, not understanding. "Leo? We don't have time…"

"I'll be right back!" the guy called to her, as he followed Piper down into the kitchen.

Prue gave the female whitelighter a quick grin. "Piper froze ya!"

"She-she what?" Natalie demanded.

"Yep!" Prue told her, still keeping her grin on her face.

Natalie looked up to the ceiling in evident frustration. "This is the Charmed Ones?"

---

**Halliwell Manor Kitchen.**

**A few moments later**

Leo closed the door as he came in. "Hey, you want to freeze me in bed for your own personal pleasure, that's fine; but freezing Natalie is not gonna make her or the Elders happy."

"Well, I'm sorry," Piper admitted, trying to stay calm. "But how do you think I feel listening to you two clickety-clack about work when you don't tell me anything? I mean, she clearly knows things about you that I don't!"

"She's just an old friend, is all," Leo said semi-wearily. (Oh, how did I get stuck here in the house alone with all these women? Xander, now I know how you felt in the old days, when I could just orb out whenever I wanted to!)

"Well, obviously," Piper said in response to his verbal statement, with an eye roll.

Leo looked at her in sudden disbelief. "Come on, you're not jealous are you? Because there is nothing..."

She stopped him at once. "Leo, I'm not jealous of her. I'm jealous of the part of your life she gets to share with you that I don't. You know, like where you go all day, who your other charges are, what it's like up there."

"I've taken you up there before-"

"Once," Piper pointed out. "And I didn't even get to remember it. It's just more rules. More stupid rules that exclude me, unlike you and Natalie, who literally speak the same language with each other!"

"It's just boring shop talk," the whitelighter tried to convince her.

Piper didn't buy it though. "It's secrets, and if there's one thing I've learned as a Halliwell, you don't keep secrets from the people you love."

Their talk was stopped by Cordelia and Xander coming in through the back door. "Ah, hi. Are we interrupting something?" Harris asked, sensing the bad vibes.

"Yes!" Piper snapped.

"No!" Leo responded.

"How did your thing go with the investigator?" Piper then asked her sister, dropping the other topic.

"Uh, fine, I guess," Cordelia sighed. "At least he's not a demon."

Leo wanted to bring the two new arrivals quickly up to speed. "Why don't you guys go meet Natalie?"

Xander asked, "Who?"

"She's a..." Piper started.

"…fellow whitelighter. See? I finished your sentence," Leo pointed out to his beloved.

Piper merely shot him a look. "Trust me, that's not what I was gonna say!"

----

**Halliwell Manor Conservatory.**

**A few seconds later**

Natalie sighed, as she watched Prue hold a crystal over a map of the Bay Area. "You're wasting your time. You can't scry for warlocks!"

"I'm not," Prue insisted. "I'm scrying for a witch. I'm focusing the crystal on your charge's power, which technically is still alive."

The newest arrivals walked over. "Hi. You must be, uh..." Cordelia started off saying, but was cut off by a yell from Prue.

"Oh!" the oldest sister said when the crystal pointed to a spot on the map. "Okay, here we go, I think I found Eames. Uh, the industrial district. South of San Francisco."

"A warlock?" Xander asked. (Huh. Haven't gone up against any of those for a while!)

"What's going on?" Cordelia wondered.

Prue got up quickly. "We'll fill you in on the way. Piper! Leo!"

Natalie gently grabbed her arm. "Wait, you're not going after him now are you?"

"Ah, yeah, that would be the idea!" Prue replied, somewhat annoyed.

The whitelighter just stared at her. "But you're not prepared, you're not…"

Prue stopped paying attention to Natalie after she saw Cordelia pick up the dagger and get a vision. "What did you see?"

Cordelia looked towards the oldest sister, all business. "A warlock, I think…killing a male witch."

Prue almost growled, "Not if we can help it!" As Piper and Leo came back into the room she said, "It's three against one. We should be able to counter his power of deflection."

"But he can also clone himself," Leo pointed out.

Prue simply shrugged. "So then it's three against two. Still, the odds are on our side. Plus, we'll have the element of surprise!"

"And backup," Xander added as he put his jacket back on.

The useless civilian speaking up like that was the last straw for Natalie. "People, we're under an alert. You can't go running off half-cocked!"

Cordelia whispered to Xander, "People?"

Natalie looked at all of them, but mostly Prue and Leo. "You must consult the Elders, find out what they know and what they want you to do."

Piper just looked at the female angel, dumbfounded. "And how long will that take? Long enough to lose another witch's life?"

"Better one than four," Natalie said evenly. "You wondered what Eames' ultimate goal was. What if it's to kill the Charmed Ones? Think of the damage he could do with all of your powers-"

"Hey, lady," Xander stopped her. "This guy is not getting any of the Charmed Ones' powers!"

Prue took a hold of Harris's shoulder. "Natalie's right. We should definitely check with the Elders first." To the woman in question she added, "Do it quickly."

Natalie nodded once, glad that someone besides her was seeing reason. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

After she orbed out, Cordelia put the dagger back on the table. "So what, we're supposed to just wait?"

Prue scoffed, "Hell, no! I just had to say something to get rid of her."

Leo didn't know if he liked that. "But didn't you hear what she said? Consulting with the Elders is for your own protection..."

Xander frowned at hearing that as well, his girls' safety a big priority in his mind. But Piper just grinned as she tossed her boyfriend his jacket. "And siding with us is for yours!"

Prue gave Leo a nod at that remark, leaving the whitelighter watching their departing backs. "I really hate getting stuck in the middle," he told Xander in that same semi-weary tone from before.

"Believe me, man," Xander said with a sigh, as they followed the witches out the door. "I know the feeling!"

----

**An empty warehouse on the South Side, San Francisco.**

**A while later**

Eames was present, chanting in some unknown language. He hardly even looked up as Piper's jeep quickly pulled through the open door. Prue then jumped out and used her powers to toss the warlock into a stack of crates.

But he just stood back up again as if it was nothing. "Piper, freeze him!" Prue ordered.

The middle sister tried to do so, but the warlock just waved his hand as he deflected the power away. "He deflected it!" The warlock suddenly blinked out. "What happened? Where'd he go?" Piper demanded.

"This is not going well, people," Xander said, looking around and getting ready for anything.

"I don't think that was Eames," Leo said. "I think that was his clone."

"All right," Cordelia said quickly. "Well, the real Eames must be around here somewhere."

"Okay, maybe we should get out of here?" Piper asked.

"No," Prue stopped that line of thought. "What about the witch in Cordelia's premonition? We can't just leave him to die."

Piper groaned, "I was afraid you were gonna say that."

Prue looked over towards Cordy. "What did he look like?"

"Oh, I don't know. Male as I said, kinda balding…" As if on cue, a darklighter appeared in a cloud of black orbs. "Sort of like that!"

"Who are you?" the evil demon demanded. "Why'd you summon me?"

Leo finally got it. "That's no witch. That's..." They all reacted to the quickly drawn out crossbow. "...a darklighter!"

As the demon quickly took aim, Piper shouted, "Leo! Leo, get out of here!"

The man did just that before the poisoned bolt slammed into the door of the jeep. Xander quickly kicked the crossbow out of the darklighter's hands, and Piper followed up by freezing him.

"Okay, I don't understand. Why the hell is there a darklighter here?" Cordelia demanded.

Eames suddenly appeared, sitting on a high pallet. "Oh, did I miss all the fun?" With a casual movement of his hand, the frozen darklighter caught on fire.

Xander pulled Piper away from the flames as the demon was vanquished. "Son of a bitch!" he yelled.

And then Eames blinked down to the ground level, and picked up the dropped crossbow. "No, wait, I am the fun. Thanks for this!" the warlock said in pure pleasure, and blinked away.

"I am the fun!" Xander asked in disbelief. "Who writes his lines?"

Prue had a cold look. "Whoever it is, we'll get them too..."

---

**Halliwell Manor.**

**Less than half an hour later**

Leo was waiting for them, when the quartet arrived through the front door. "Did you get the darklighter?"

"Nah. Eames beat 'em to the punch," Xander told his friend, upset.

Leo was more than a little confused by that. "Eames? A warlock killed a darklighter?"

"And took his stupid crossbow," Cordelia elaborated.

"Well, that doesn't make any sense," Leo commented in confusion. "They both play for team evil."

"Yeah," Prue agreed. "But what I don't get is why Eames had zero interest in attacking us!"

Cordelia shrugged. "Maybe he knew he was outnumbered."

"No, he didn't really seem overly concerned," Prue insisted. "In fact, he seemed...cocky."

"And corny," Xander added.

At that moment, Natalie orbed back into the manor. A great sigh of relief escaped her lips, "Good, you're still here."

"Speaking of cocky," Piper said under her breath.

Natalie said, not hearing that, "I consulted with the Elders, and they want you to hold back. They think the witch Cordelia saw might be a force of darkness."

Prue just nodded. "He was a darklighter, actually."

Natalie looked at her in confusion. "How do you know? Another vision?"

Piper shook her head. "We went, we saw, we didn't quite conquer."

"You what?" Natalie demanded, flabbergasted. "Leo, how could you let this happen?"

"It wasn't Leo's decision," Prue told her at once. "It was ours."

Natalie honestly just couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You'll take responsibility for a decision, but not for your lives? That warlock could have killed you!"

"He wasn't after us," Piper said, ignoring the lecture.

But Natalie gave her a look that Xander well remembered Cordelia giving to annoying freshmen, once upon a time. "That makes you lucky, not smart! You were reckless. As the Charmed Ones, you have an obligation to serve the greater good. You have a higher calling."

"So do we…" Leo said, as he heard the Elders calling.

Natalie went over and stood next to him. "I think we better both go up this time."

Leo nodded and turned to Prue. "Better lay low until we get back." He took Natalie's hand, and they orbed upstairs to the domain of the Elders.

Piper scoffed at what she'd just seen. "What's with the hand-holding thing?"

"That's the least of our problems," Cordelia said, as she took her jacket off and put it on the hook. "We have to concentrate on finding and vanquishing Eames."

"Yeah," Prue groused. "And we can't count on scrying to locate him, because it could just be his clone again."

"I still think we need to decode his master plan, and then that way we can figure him out," Piper mused.

Cordelia nodded. "Okay, I'll take Book duty. And Dweeb boy here can take on the master plan part. Maybe your military background thing will kick in, or whatever."

"Worth a shot," Xander said simply, as they went over to the Book of Shadows.

"I'll do a flow chart, try to see where all this is leading," Prue told them.

"I'll help," Piper said at once. "Anything to get rid of her." (And I do mean that in the literal sense!)

Prue looked back towards her sibling, thinking she'd meant Eames. "You mean him."

Piper shook her head at once. "Nah, I mean her."

----

**The Realm of the Elders**

**The same time**

To any mortal that might have happened to be there, the scene appeared white and misty for all that the eye could see. Only various pillars and golden doors appeared as any sort of filler to the area. If you didn't count the countless beings in hooded robes, of course.

Leo alone was the only whitelighter still dressed in his earthly clothes. Natalie walked up to him, wearing the robe everyone else did, and said, "I've never seen the Elders like this before. They're worried about what Eames is up to..." Natalie then stopped, as she looked her friend over. "Aren't you gonna change into your robes? The rules say..."

"I know the rules," Leo told her. "I just find my jeans more comfortable, is all."

Natalie appeared very troubled by that. "That attitude scares me, Leo. I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't tell you how concerned I am about the situation at the manor."

Leo tried to set her mind at ease. "You haven't seen the Charmed Ones at their best. Trust me, they're talented witches."

"They're also sloppy, untrained, emotional..."

"...and undisciplined, I know," Leo finished for her in that way Piper had come to detest. "That's part of what makes them great. They don't work by rote. They work on instinct, on passion."

Natalie was not convinced. "I'm all for instinct and passion, but they're too impulsive. They lead with their hearts, not their heads, and they're not the only ones."

Leo stopped walking. "You think I do too?"

Natalie just sighed. "I think it's clear that you love them."

"Every whitelighter loves their charges."

"Not the way that you do," Natalie told him firmly. "Your feelings are clouding your ability to see their weaknesses."

"Weaknesses?" Leo asked in surprise. "I think their record speaks for itself. Don't forget, they took out Belthazor-"

"But Belthazor is a perfect illustration for what I was just saying," Natalie pointed out. "He never should have gotten that close to them in the first place. And Cordelia letting her mortal boyfriend fight evil alongside her and her sisters! Completely ridiculous..."

Leo shook his head. "Xander's special. You know that. Everyone knows that."

Natalie nodded. "Of course. That young man is one of your charges, but Leo, right now that doesn't matter. Whether or not he becomes one of us in the future, he doesn't belong on the front lines with the Charmed Ones. And I can't help but think that your relationship with Piper..."

Leo stiffened at that. "...is none of your business."

"Actually, Leo, it is my business," the woman said somewhat apologetically, trying to stay friendly. "The Elders want to know whether or not I think it's getting in the way of your job."

Before Leo could respond to that, they both heard a call from below. "That's Cordelia calling. Rules say charge's call takes precedent," the male whitelighter said simply.

As he orbed out, Natalie took a deep breath at being put in this painful spot of possibly hurting her old friend.

---

**Halliwell Manor Conservatory.**

**A moment later**

"Did you guys find something?" Leo asked as he orbed in.

"Not yet," Cordelia told him. "Xander wanted to ask you a few questions."

Leo looked over to his male friend and charge. "Why didn't you just call me personally then?"

"I don't think your friend likes me in the middle of all this," Harris told him honestly.

(You're more right than you know,) Leo thought to himself and came over to the former Zeppo. "What did you need?"

Xander showed him what he was working on. "The Book only names some of the witches this guy killed. I was hoping to see if we could use the Elders records or whatever to find out who the others were. You know, if they had the same whitelighter or family lineage…anything to connect them."

"I'll see what I can find the next time I go back up there," Leo promised.

"Okay," Xander replied. "And whatever this guy is planning? My money says it's going to go down soon."

"Why do you say that, Xander?" Cordelia asked, looking up from the Book.

"Look at the dates and times of the witches he's killed," Harris pointed out. "This guy's a warlock, so y'know, he can blink to the other side of the planet in an instant. So why did he wait years between his kills?" He looked back to Leo. "He killed your friend's charge and the darklighter on the same day. This is the first time he's not waited that we know of. So we can assume his pattern's not gonna remain the same, and most likely the end game's in session."

Leo got it. "All right, I'll…" he started to say, but stopped and yelled in pain as the man collapsed to his knees. Only by holding the edge of the table did he stay upright.

"Leo?" Xander asked quickly. "Geez, man, what's the matter?"

"I don't know," Leo gritted out. "Feels like a witch is being hurt. I…can feel her pain."

Cordelia leaned down next to him. "Is it one of your charges?"

"No!" Leo said, as another stab of pain shot through him.

Prue and Piper came in at that moment, and Piper instantly ran over to her boyfriend. "What happened?"

"She needs help!" Leo struggled to say to her.

----

**Unknown Park, Unknown City**

**The same time**

Eames was looking over the shivering form of a teenage black girl, who was in a Catholic schoolgirl uniform. Her white shirt had a hole near the heart, and a lot of blood was leaking out fast.

"Of course I could have killed you," the evil thing told the young witch. "But it's not your powers I'm after. I've set my sights a little higher."

The warlock looked over his blade calmly. "I'm looking for a few good whitelighters. Well, actually, just one. That's all I'm missing now. And yours'll do just fine!"

----

**Halliwell Manor Conservatory.**

**The same time**

Piper tried to understand. "Why are you feeling it? Why isn't her own whitelighter helping her?"

Leo struggled to his feet. "I don't know, but I have to go to her!"

He stood and started to orb out when Prue suddenly grabbed his arm, pulling him back. "No, Leo, wait!"

He fully orbed back before she explained, "I just realised, how could we have missed it? The only reason Eames would have killed a darklighter, is so that he can use the crossbow to kill a whitelighter!"

Natalie orbed in behind the group. "She's right, Leo, it's a trap."

"I don't understand," Leo demanded, trying to keep his knees from buckling. "Why would he even want to kill a whitelighter?"

"To gain the power to orb up there, it's the only way in," his old friend told him. "Once there, he'd be able to decimate all whitelighters, maybe even the Elders too."

"And that would leave all their charges unprotected," Cordelia whispered, horrified at the thought. "He'd be able to wipe out all witches everywhere, including us!"

Prue nodded darkly. "Sounds like a master plan to me."

Natalie agreed. "The Elders have instituted a lockdown and recalled all whitelighters from Earth. Leo and I are the only ones who have retained the power to orb so we can help you stop Eames."

"That must be why I feel her pain," Leo grunted out. "If you could only feel it-"

"I feel it," Natalie informed him. "But I won't be ruled by it. A whitelighter who's controlled by his emotions is useless. The greater good must come first."

"Oh, screw that!" Xander said belligerently, as he went over and reached under the end table to get one of his zat guns. "Leo…it's real simple, just orb me in right behind his ass and then I'll-"

"No! This guy can kill you, Xander!" Cordelia told him forcefully.

"And he can't kill you guys as well? I didn't sign up for this gig just to watch people die," Harris told his girlfriend. "We've said it before, I'm the wild card-"

"Wild card? You're obviously out of your mind?" Natalie demanded, storming over to the former class clown. "You're just a mortal!"

Xander gave her a cold look. "Lady, with all due respect…shut up. Before we find out whether or not my zat guns also kill whitelighters!"

The Charmed Ones and Leo looked at him in shocked disbelief, while Natalie instantly clammed up and backed away.

----

**Unknown Park, Unknown City**

**The same time**

The young teenage witch was laying in a pool of her own blood. She was shaking, and it was obvious that she could die at any moment. Eames was nearby, looking annoyed. "Well, this is boring. What kind of lame whitelighter do you have?"

The girl turned her head towards him as best she could. "They…must be on t…o you… now."

Eames just shrugged. "I think you're right. Which means what? They'll send witches to try and stop me? Well, if witches come, can whitelighters be far behind? After ten years of chasing a dream, the dream starts chasing me," he mused as he walked over to her. "Of course, you know, there is a downside. I no longer have any use for you."

The girl's eyes went wide, as she saw the blade going for her heart.

----

**Halliwell Manor Conservatory.**

**A few seconds later**

Leo felt the witch's terror and pain, as her life was brutally ended. His knees instantly buckled, as he fell and almost threw up.

Piper was at his side in a flash. "Leo!"

Natalie looked away from glaring at Xander back to her old friend. "Leo, what is it?"

Leo looked up at her. "He…he killed her!"

Prue instantly blasted the female whitelighter with a deadly look of disgust. "What does your rulebook say to do now?"

The female angel had no answer. So the girls had to take a moment away from Natalie. She attended to Leo, while the rest made some coffee in the kitchen. "I can't believe Natalie just let her die like that, we should have done something!" Cordelia said, with a few tears showing.

"And what's worse is her reaction to it," Xander seethed. "We all heard her say she felt the witch's pain, right? And yet…she had to ask Leo what happened, when the witch got killed?" He looked out the small window above the sink. "That is just so cold."

Prue came over and brought him back over to the others. "Yeah, but we need to figure out a way to stop Eames before he kills again. We should be working on a vanquishing spell."

"It's gonna hafta be a tricky one, though," Cordelia said, as she poured some coffee into mugs. "We have to counteract a lot of powers."

Piper very much agreed with that. "Plus, we need to do it fast, 'cause I don't like my boyfriend being one of the only two targets on Earth."

They picked up the tray and walked into the sitting room, where the whitelighters were sitting. Xander instantly didn't like the way Leo looked. He had his head down and was nodding to what Natalie was telling him.

"We'd like to speak to Leo in private," Piper said, showing her anger. "So if you wouldn't mind going into another room?"

Natalie stood and faced her. "If it's work-related, you can discuss it with me."

"What do you mean?" Prue asked, as she sat opposite her sister.

Piper suddenly saw a look she wished she hadn't. "Leo?"

Leo Wyatt exhibited a very sorry look on his face, as he stood up as well. "I've asked Natalie to take over as your whitelighter, and she's accepted."

Piper's eyes went huge at hearing that. "What are you talking about?"

The man looked at her in the way only a longtime boyfriend can. "Piper, nothing's more important to me than your safety, and my being here is putting all of your lives at risk."

"Say what?" Xander asked in confused disbelief.

"Leo, you've done nothing but protect us," Prue pointed out to him.

Leo just shook his head. "You saw what happened. I would have rushed off to help that witch if you hadn't stopped me. Now I'm supposed to be guiding you, and yet you're the ones guiding me?"

"Leo, come on, we all make mistakes," Prue tried again.

"But we can't afford to make them now," the angel told her simply. "Maybe Natalie's right. Maybe my feelings for you are clouding my ability to guide you, I don't know. All I do know is that this is no time for self-doubt, not with Eames out there."

He walked over to his one true love. "Piper, they want me to join in the lockdown. Until I return, I want you to do as Natalie asks. Please. It's important for us."

Piper sure as hell didn't like it, but she nodded anyway. The couple shared a quick kiss and as they parted, Leo put a hand on Xander's shoulder and orbed the guy out with him.

"Hey!" Cordelia called out, jumping up.

"Like it or not, your boyfriend has no business being part of this," Natalie told her, getting three frosty looks in return. "I suggest you channel your anger toward the warlock you're meant to vanquish. Now, first..."

"Wait, okay, could we just have a moment to process this, please?" Prue demanded, very upset.

"No," Natalie replied evenly and yet with great force. "It's time you stopped focusing on yourselves, and started focusing on Eames. You must prepare yourselves for battle. Mentally, physically…sartorially."

"Double hey!" Cordelia called out. Prue looked back to her. "She doesn't like our clothes!" the youngest sister explained.

Natalie looked their outfits over. "You need outfits that are loose and move. That means no more braless…strapless, form-fitting attire." With a glance to Cordelia she added, "You should wear clothes that can work with you in the fight…not ones so that your boyfriend can check out your rack and butt!"

----

**The Realm of the Elders**

**A moment later**

"What the hell did you do that for?" Xander demanded, as they showed up in the higher plane of existence.

"It wasn't my call," Leo informed him. "Some of the Elders wanted to talk to you."

"This is because I wanted to go fight that Eames guy, isn't it?" Xander pressed.

Leo reluctantly nodded. "Not many Elders are happy with your being alongside the Charmed Ones, during their battles against warlocks and demons."

"But you said they thought I was some sorta special charge guy?" Harris continued to press.

"Yes, you are," Leo replied. "But they have no idea what you are. I mean, what you might...become..."

For a moment he was tempted to mention joining the whitelighter corps, but then Leo wisely decided that his charge didn't want to hear that now of all times. "Xander, like it or not, people that run systems don't like the unknown and therefore unpredictable. And when you almost went after Eames yourself, and then threatened Natalie that way, the Elders made up their minds to perform…uh, certain tests."

"What kind of tests?" Xander demanded.

"That will be explained to you shortly."

Xander and Leo turned towards the owner of that deep bass voice. And they saw two male and one female Elders coming over to them. "Hi there!" Xander said sardonically. "Nice place. Too bad I couldn't remember it from the other times I've been here!"

"You may join the others in the lockdown, Leo," one of the males said, ignoring that.

"I…"

"Now is not the time for debate," the female Elder told him.

"Fine," Leo said, obviously not liking it. He then looked to Xander. "I'll see you later, Xander."

The young man watched him leave, and then turned back to his new 'friends'. "You know, just for the record? Right now I'm not seeing any fundamental difference between you people and the Watchers Council, or those weird Powers That Be that Kennedy talks about!"

"We only wish to serve the greater good-" the taller male Elder started to say.

"Just as long as it goes the way you think it should, huh?" Xander riposted.

"Why do you say that?" the smaller male Elder asked.

"You even have to ask?" Harris replied in disbelief. "Why don't we find that witch who was just left to die, thanks to you people, and see what he or she thinks about the greater good right now?"

The two male Elders obviously didn't like that and stiffened. "Escort him to the testing chamber," taller male said to the female. "We will be there momentarily."

She just nodded and started to walk Xander to the room. "You worry them," she admitted to the former Slayerette, when they were alone.

"I do?" Xander asked. "Why? I mean, what do they really care about some mere mortal like me?"

"You are all our sons and daughters, you know, so they - we - all of us, care. We really do. However, it is the fact that not many humans would willingly take up the fight against the underworld, with no special calling or powers-"

"Oh, come on! That's bullshit!" Xander said at once, stopping her. "Lady, you might want to actually take a good hard look at the people down on planet Earth, before you make those assumptions! A hell of a lot of humans would take up the fight, if they've seen the things I have. I'm barely in my twenties, and I've already helped stop over half a dozen apocalypses!"

"I see…" the Elder replied. "And yet, you obviously aren't happy with the way things are at the moment?"

Xander sighed. "It's just that lately I've constantly been hearing about all these stupid rules and stuff, and how you guys are supposedly keeping a lid on all this…and then someone like Eames flies in underneath the radar, till just before he strikes? Doesn't exactly fill me with confidence in the system, you know. You guys been too busy watching American Idol up here to stay on top of the situation?"

The female Elder looked at him for a moment. "You are both right and wrong in making such an accusation."

"What!" Xander demanded, as she kept on walking. "Hey, wait up! What the hell does that mean?"

---

**Elsewhere in the realm of the Elders**

**The same time**

Leo avoided the other whitelighters around him, and sank into a small viewing chamber. He closed the doors and looked into the bowl of water. With a thought, an image of the Charmed Ones showed up. He stayed there and watched the goings-on down on Earth with worry.

----

**Stargate Command, Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado.**

**The same time**

"At ease, people," General Hammond said, as he came into the briefing room.

He waited till SG-1 returned to their seats, before he passed a folder to Colonel O'Neill. "I'm sure you recall back in 1999, that incident with Seth and his cult?"

"Of course, sir," Major Carter replied.

Hammond leaned back in his chair. "Since then, we have as you all know been watching the members of that cult. Almost all of them have gone back to their normal lives that they had before."

"But one has not?" Teal'c asked from his seat.

"That's right," Hammond said as he pressed a button on a remote, and a file picture from that mission came up. "Alexander Harris."

"The sealed file guy," O'Neill said, the memories returning as soon as he saw the face.

"He was never actually a member of the cult, though," Daniel Jackson said. "He was found in Seth's jail as a prisoner, wasn't he?"

Hammond nodded. "Thing is, we got a big 'do not ask questions' memo regarding this man shortly after the mission reports were filed. However, no one can tell me who the hell ordered it. Also, the military unit that had the sealed file on him was disbanded almost two years ago."

"Have we been able to get access to their file on Mr. Harris?" Carter wondered.

"No," Hammond replied in that annoyed Texan accent. "All records from that command are said to have been destroyed. And what we do have on Mr. Harris before that, is based mostly on newspaper clippings - if you can believe it. Public record. But all throughout the years, his name has been brought up many times as an eyewitness to unpleasant events."

"Such as?" Jackson asked.

"Well, in his sophomore year of high school, a female student had her heart removed in one of the locker rooms."

"What!" Sam Carter said in shock.

"He was also best friends with one girl who found several students murdered in the school's AV room later that same year," Hammond informed them. "All through his sophomore year till his high school graduation, there are events worthy of horror movies that happened there in Sunnydale…but for some reason, none of it ever made the national news. It's almost as if someone there covered it all up."

"Sir?" O'Neill said, after looking at the file. "If this is right, that sleepy little town has a higher death rate than that of New York City! You can not be telling me that someone only noticed this just now?"

"No," Hammond replied. "The Army sent its people in to find out what the hell was going on there. But it was a black ops unit…and thus, all records of it or its findings are nowhere in the system."

"What does this have to do with us?" Teal'c asked.

"Nasty things are still happening in that town, son, to this very day. The Pentagon is thinking of sending in its own team to that area. They claim they have special soldiers trained for it," Hammond told the Jaffa.

He went on, "But why I bring it up now is due to Mr. Harris's involvement. Along with himself, someone called Cordelia Chase was also listed in some of the reports. Thing is that after Mr. Harris left Seth's camp, he went right to San Francisco, where Ms. Chase had moved in with her two older sisters. And according to the SFPD reports, they're all listed as either witnesses or people of interest in several unsolved cases. It seemed to taper off after a while though, when they were put on as CI's for the SIU unit there."

"SIU?" Jackson asked.

"Special Investigations Unit," Hammond said. "It's run by a man who the press labels the city's top cop, and Mr. Harris has been seen at their stationhouse more than once."

The general then got to the heart of the matter. "But what I was just informed of…is that all the records and files on Mr. Harris that we've been keeping? The NID has gotten copies of them through backdoor channels."

"Oh, no, this can't be good," Dr. Jackson sighed.

----

**Halliwell Manor.**

**The next morning**

Despite their best efforts, all had not gone well for the Charmed Ones during the last few hours. They'd trained as a team, worked on spells to counter Eames…and won way too easily. They had managed to get the deadly crossbow away from him, in their next encounter. Natalie had said it was all because of following the rules, but then it all went to hell.

Prue saying it had been all too easy was proved true enough, when the crossbow suddenly turned into Eames, and he tossed the girls around like rag dolls. Their last sight was Eames stabbing Natalie in the gut with one of the darklighter poison arrows, before both man and woman had vanished.

Piper helped Cordelia out of the wreckage of the new end table. "We followed the stupid rules, and look what happened."

Cordelia growled, "Xander's going to kill me…yet another thing he has to fix!" She dusted herself off. "I hate rules!"

Prue shared her sentiments. "I knew something was wrong! Why didn't I trust my instincts?"

"None of us did, but I'm going to now!" Piper declared as she looked skywards. "Leo!"

Her sisters quickly joined in. "LEO!" all three called out.

As soon as the man orbed in, Piper turned to him, trying to stay calm. "Okay, look, we-we did everything she asked. I swear!"

"I know," Leo told them. "I was watching. I wasn't supposed to, but…enough said."

Cordelia kicked a chunk of the destroyed table. "We're through now playing by the rules, you know!"

"Yeah, we need to stop Eames for good," Prue told them. "Enough of this following orders like good soldiers stuff!"

"Well, I know from painful experience darklighter poison doesn't kill immediately, so there's still a window of opportunity," Leo said, trying to get the image of what happened to his friend out of his mind.

"Great. So we need a plan," Prue said as she came up to him. "What are our options?"

"There's only one I can think of," Leo told her. "But it breaks the rules big time."

Piper looked at him in shock. "You mean..."

"Uh-huh," Leo replied.

"And we..."

"Yep."

"And that will..."

"I hope," Leo said, competing their joint thought.

Prue and Cordelia just look at each other, confused.

----

**Unknown location**

**Later that day**

Poor old Natalie was now in the same medical shape as the young witch that had died the night before. She was shaking and bleeding, as the poison spread through her system. Eames was there standing above her, waiting for it to be over.

"You think dying would be easier the second time around, but it sure doesn't look like it, does it?" the warlock teased. "It's useless to fight the poison, you know."

He leaned down to Natalie and purred, "How's it feel to know that you will be responsible for the end of whitelighters and witches alike? The end of good." He faked a noise, "Do I hear someone coming? No. But…I hear someone going."

He cruelly pushed the arrow into Natalie farther. She gasped in horrible pain, as blood rushed out of her mouth. Within minutes she breathed out her last, and passed on for the second time.

"About damn time!" Eames said in triumph, as he took her orbing power from her.

----

**The Realm of the Elders**

**A few moments later**

Eames almost coughed at all the white mist suddenly assaulting his senses. "How do they live up here?" the warlock wondered, as he finished using his new power to reach the area previously sealed off to all evil.

He looked around in glee as the many whitelighters, in their robes, seemingly ignored him. For them, obviously, someone orbing up here was just like walking though a door for a mortal.

(Well, let's see how fast they start running after I kill the first one!) Eames mused, as he took aim with the darklighter crossbow at the back of the closest robed do-gooder to him, and fired.

But as soon as the arrow left the bow, things went wrong again. This time for Eames. As the hooded whitelighter held up a hand and the deadly arrow veered off far to the left, then it froze in midair.

"What the hell?" Eames yelled. (Those aren't whitelighter powers!)

The two whitelighters in front of him turned around, and dropped their hoods.

"YOU!" Eames called out in rage and disbelief, as he saw the faces of Prue and Piper.

"And don't forget about me!" Cordelia said, as she dropped her hood and nailed him with a kick from behind. Prue then used her powers; she spun the frozen arrow around, and shot it into Eames' back.

"What the hell are you doing up here?" Eames demanded, as he fell to his knees.

"What do you think? Kicking your sorry ass!" Cordelia replied angrily.

Prue just looked coldly down at the thing that had caused so much pain and death in their lives lately. "Don't even bother trying to orb out, it won't work. You see, you didn't just get the powers of a whitelighter, you got their vulnerability too. So the poison in that arrow is killing you, just like you killed Natalie."

Cordelia looked to her sisters. "I'm kind of in a rhyming mood. How about you, girls?"

"Sure," Prue replied. "This poison isn't working fast enough for me."

The three Charmed Ones surrounded the fallen warlock and started their spell to remove his stolen powers. "Time for amends and a victim's revenge..." they chanted.

"Cloning power, turn sour..." Prue said first.

Then Piper went, "Power to change, turn to strange..."

"I'm rejecting your deflection," Cordelia finished. Even though she should have used a different terminology, as the stolen power of deflection didn't end up in the demon wasteland; it went...somewhere else. Close by, that is.

Eames yelled as he caught on fire, and burned away into oblivion. "Wow. It worked!" Cordelia said, relieved.

"Nothing anticlimactic about that," Prue said with a grin.

Cordelia laughed, but Piper saw a hooded whitelighter approach them. "Uh-oh. Here comes one."

When the figure got close enough, he dropped his hood to show his face. "You made your whitelighter proud," Leo told them happily.

"Thanks," Cordelia said, just as proud. "But we were just winging it."

"Well, whatever you did, it worked," Leo replied.

"Well, not as well as we would've liked," Piper told him sadly. "I'm sorry we couldn't save Natalie."

Leo put his arm around her. "I know, me too. But she died for the greater good. I know she would've made that choice herself."

"Although, I don't think that she would have been too keen on us orbing up here," Cordelia pointed out.

Leo very much agreed with that. "Which is why we've got to grab Xander and get out of here now, before we all get in trouble."

They started to walk with Leo in the lead, but then Prue stopped. "Okay, wait a second. No five cent tour? No meeting the Elders?"

"We're getting Xander and going," Leo said firmly, as Cordelia grabbed her sister's hand and dragged her along.

"Leo!" Prue called back.

Piper answered for her boyfriend, "It doesn't matter. It's not like we get to remember it anyway."

"You will this time," Leo informed her.

"Oh!" Piper smiled with delight.

Soon they reached a door and opened it, to see Xander arguing with an Elder. "Did you maybe want to stick you finger up there and check my prostate, while you were at it?"

"You may go now," was all that the Elder said in reply before he left through another door, not even seeming to notice Leo and the sisters.

"Xander!" Cordelia called out, as she hugged her boyfriend. "How's my favorite mortal doing?"

"Okay, I guess," Xander replied grouchily, as she gave him a quick kiss. "I'm just wondering if Elder physicals count as a doctor's appointment back on Earth..." Looking to Leo, he sighed. "I never even heard about some of those tests, or what they were for. What's the deal, man?"

"I know you didn't like it, but right now, we have to get out of here. No time to explain," Leo told him.

"Ah…" Xander said nastily. "Right. They use me and then kick me to the side of the curb. I'm feeling the love."

"You will later tonight, but only if you move your ass, dummy!" Cordelia whispered to her boyfriend.

As the group left Harris turned to his girl and said, "By the way…why the hell did you three come up here?"

"Flambéed warlock," Cordy told him succinctly.

"Ah…"

----

**P3 club, San Francisco, California.**

**Later that night**

Piper was sitting at the alcove, while Xander and Cordelia were dancing near to where the band was playing. Prue came over and pulled the young couple over to the couch, before she leaned into Cordelia and said, "I just checked the messages at home, and apparently Reece called. Said he needs to talk to you about the case against Cole again."

Cordelia groaned. "God, I just know this is going to drag on for ages! Why can't all hot half-human upper level demons trying to romance and kill me be working at KFC?"

"He was hot, huh?" Xander asked in annoyance.

"Damn right he was!" Cordelia teased him. "But only you get to…" she leaned in and whispered something in his ear that Xander apparently liked.

Piper ignored the couple's flirting. "Where the hell is Leo? He's been up there a really long time, and I'm starting to get worried. I don't understand how they can be mad at him, after we saved their butts!"

"Well, he - we - broke some pretty major rules while doing it," Cordelia told her.

Piper sighed. "Yeah, well, if they hold that against him, I'm all for crossing over to the other side."

"Ditto," Prue said.

"Yeah. Ditto," Cordelia agreed. "What about you, Xander?"

Harris just smiled in wicked amusement. "Most of the evil women we encounter have a thing for tight leather…so please, all three of you go as evil as you want!"

The girls laughed and Prue tossed a small pillow at the guy.

"Hey," Leo said, as he suddenly came over to them.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Piper said quickly. "What took so long? What happened?"

Leo rubbed his hands together. "I have some news."

"Okay…" Piper replied, instantly worried.

But Leo instantly smiled. "Well, obviously, they found out that you've been up there, so they decided to review all the facts of the situation. And then they unanimously decided to…lift the probation."

Piper's jaw could have hit the floor. "What?"

Leo grinned. "Piper, we're officially engaged!"

"Oh!" Prue hugged Piper in joy. "That's great!"

Cordelia went over and joined in the dog pile hug, while Xander went over and shook hands with Leo. "Congrats, man!"

"Thanks!" the whitelighter told him, as they went for the cool-dude version of a manly hug.

----

**The Realm of the Elders**

**The same time**

The two male whitelighter Elders that had put Xander through his tests watched that little scene on Earth with dread. "We should have told him that it was not unanimous," the taller one said somewhat sadly.

"Perhaps. But Leo deserves this, and at least it will draw their attention away from what that…human question mark went through," the shorter one said. "We need time to figure out what our next step must be, given what we've learned. And I must say, it is all very troubling."

"Agreed," his companion said. "And how could we have not seen it coming? The forces of darkness nearly surround that young man completely."

"And since he is immune to the Charmed Ones in more ways than one, he cannot be allowed to stay with them for much longer. Can he?"

The shorter Elder shrugged. "We will need to be completely sure of our facts before we bring this to the others. I'm sure none of us have forgotten how Piper almost quit and destroyed the Power of Three, when Leo was taken away from her. Who knows what Cordelia will do?"

The taller Elder shuddered. "Nothing pleasant as far as we're concerned, I'm sure."

TBC…


	11. Chapter 10

**Author's Notes:** Thanks to Theo and the various transcript people for helping me write this part. This chapter touches on season 3 Charmed eps "Wrestling With Demons", and "Bride And Gloom".

---

**Chapter Ten**

**Previously on Second Life...**

**Halliwell Manor, San Francisco, California.**

**Early February, 2002**

Xander Harris lay in bed, thinking.

His shift at P3 was over, and he was glad to now be able to get a little relaxation time. It seemed that things had been pretty hectic lately.

Recently he had been talking with Prue and Piper, and the topic of the sisters' little trip to the future back in the year 2000 had cropped up. Thus, Harris had learned that Future Leo had mentioned to the two Charmed Ones how Buffy had been shot and killed in her own backyard in a few months time, and that Willow had gone completely insane and butchered her killer afterwards.

Needless to say, that had not made him a happy camper. Xander had thus asked Leo to quickly orb him to the Hellmouth, to inform the others of the situation.

The former Zeppo had found out that some low-level pest named Warren something-or-another had been up to certain nefarious activities. Petty and not-so-petty theft, stalking, attempted mind control, and just generally annoying the hell out of the resident Chosen One. He was obviously no Angelus or the Mayor, but the problem was Warren had somehow acquired a partner; a possibly-gay individual named Andrew Wells who was not without his own skill in summoning demon minions.

Now normally, Xander wouldn't have worried that Buffy would eventually take care of business. But after observing the way Spike was acting, it had dawned on him that the chipped wonder might know more than he was letting on about the Duo of Dorkness. Thus, a quick phone call to LA to summon Kennedy and Angel had seemed to be in order, as the bleached-blond menace somehow seemed to have pulled the wool over everyone else's eyes in Sunnydale.

Well, apart from his old pal Jesse of course, but he didn't really count. As the whitelighter wasn't always around, and even when he was it was just to interact with Tara.

Later, Xander had to admit that he had gotten a kick out of watching Soul Boy and the Chosen One threaten Billy Idol that way. Not to mention how his brunette Slayer pal had tracked down the enemy lair in almost no time, and kicked the ass of one of Warren's sex-bots. It was just too bad no one in the Scooby gang had wanted to believe that Spike had known nothing about their activities...

Oh, well. At least Warren and Andrew had been clinked for the next ten years, after the Sunnydale cops had found all those stolen goods at their hideout. Not to mention how the sex-bot was now just a heap of scrap, and the British vampire was a lot less cocky about his untouchability factor - after Kennedy had staked him just below the heart as a warning to behave. So hopefully, all in all, crisis averted.

Xander hadn't spent long in the former hometown after that, apart from a quick conversation with Jonathan Levinson; who had confided to Cordelia's boyfriend that he was thinking of asking Anya to marry him. Harris had just sighed and simply advised Jonathan to think about it very carefully - as marriage was supposed to be forever once you said, "I do".

And the bartender had also advised the short geek to ask if his girlfriend was willing to convert to Judaism. As Xander rather doubted that the Levinson clan would unthinkingly accept any weird demonic rituals from Anya's side of the family during the ceremony. Not to mention any strange-looking demon guests.

The only other thing of interest from his trip down south had been the astonishing news that Deadboy had somehow become a father. Even though it was supposed to be impossible, last year Angel and Darla had produced a human son named Connor, who was apparently as cute as a button at three months of age. Xander hadn't been quite sure how to react upon hearing that from Kennedy, to be honest; on the one hand, Harris supposed Angel was to be congratulated upon entering the blessed realm of fatherhood even though Darla was no longer in the picture.

But on the other hand, the presence of a 'miracle child' in this world made the cynic in Xander suspect that this story somehow wouldn't have a happy ending.

Well, what the hell. Connor had two Slayers, two Watchers, a seer, a physicist, an axe-wielding demon fighter and the former Scourge of Europe in his corner. And if things ever got too hairy San Francisco was only a phone call away. Hopefully, the kid would be all right.

Suddenly Xander was distracted from his thoughts as Cordelia entered their bedroom. And after a short conversation, Doctor Love was in da house...

---

**Halliwell Manor Kitchen, San Francisco, California.**

**Not long afterwards**

"Hello!" Prue said as she saw the item on the dolly.

"You like it?" Cordelia asked gleefully. "It just arrived. And apparently, Xander just had to have one."

"Why?" her older sister asked. "For whenever you're not home?"

"Oh, ewww!" Cordelia said in distaste to that. "Make me yak from that visual!"

Prue came over and looked at the life-sized statue of Cordelia's game character, Sophia Croft. "You know...could that top possibly emphasize your cleavage any more than it already does?"

Cordelia looked at her likeness's chest. "Well," she shrugged. "Male fan boys. Big shock...but they like huge breasts!"

"You don't say?" Prue commented sarcastically, faking no knowledge on the subject. "Pray tell me, oh wise one...what else do these fan boys like?"

"Well, according to the Internet polls," Cordelia replied innocently. "Me posing in Playboy."

"Really?" Prue asked, surprised.

"Yep," Cordelia said with a smirk. "Hey, maybe we should all pose in a 'Charmed Ones' pictorial?"

"Hell, no!" Prue responded to that. "I'd never be able to work as a serious photographer again!"

"How about if I ask nicely?" Xander joked as he came back into the kitchen.

"Sorry Xand," Prue told him. "But never going to happen."

"Right. Well, a guy can dream..." Xander said with a knowing grin as he took the dolly's handle. "Cordy, you want to get the basement door?"

"You're putting it in the basement?" the oldest Charmed One asked in surprise.

Xander nodded. "Wouldn't mind having it up here, but let's be serious. A fiberglass statue like this won't last long with all the demons we constantly have popping in."

---

**Unknown location, the Underworld.**

**A few days later**

"Yikes," Cordelia said as the two extremely large wrestlers got into the ring. "You sure about this?"

"We don't have a choice," Prue replied, as she took a fighting stance. She and Cordelia were doing this to try to save the life and soul of a former boyfriend, after all.

"Come on, guys!" Piper said from her spot at ringside. "You can take these demons!"

"Xander didn't have to come, huh?" Cordelia asked her sister archly as the bell rang.

Prue didn't lose her stance. "Well, in my defence I didn't think we would have to actually wrestle demons for our souls!"

One of the human-looking demon wrestlers looked ticked off. "You look at this face! This is the face of pain, and I'm the bringer of pain! And I'm gonna destroy you! You can cry for mercy, but I don't know the meaning of the word!"

"Never thought I'd ever be glad Xander made me watch wrestling, after the way he fell in love with Wrestle Mania 17 back then," Cordelia said, as she dodged a punch and put the nearest wrestler into a hold.

"Ow!" she then yelled as the bulky demon easily threw her over his shoulder onto the mat, hard. "Okay, no more mister nice guy..."

---

**Halliwell Manor Kitchen**

**Later that night**

"We've gone through a lot ever since we got our powers. But that was the most stupid thing I've seen yet," Piper said as she sat at the table. "Wrestling for your soul..."

"Wonder if we rated a demon pay per view at least?" Cordelia wondered innocently, as she looked through the massive piles of junk that had showed up after her little 'Find Lost Things' spell. "Huh. I think this is the 'My Little Pony' I had when I was five..."

"Well, at least we found Mom's wedding ring," Prue said, as she saw something sticking out of a pile. "Whoa. This looks expensive..."

"OH MY GOD!" Cordelia yelled, as she ran over and grabbed the burnt necklace from her sister. "I don't believe it!"

"I take it that's yours?" Prue asked, amused.

Cordelia nodded quickly. "This is the locket Xander gave me for Valentine's Day during junior year! I always wanted to get this back..."

"Is this the thing Xander used for that infamous love spell, which went horribly wrong?" Piper asked, coming over. "Guess that explains the burn marks."

"Yeah, and y'know - this year's Valentine's Day isn't that far off either," Cordelia said as she examined the gold locket. "Wonder what else that spell found?"

---

**Santa Cruz, California.**

**The same time**

The blond teenager stumbled down the sidewalk in total confusion. "Where am I? And how the hell did I get here?" the 18-year-old girl asked herself, as she tried to look around for anything familiar to her.

Spotting a blue newspaper machine, she ran over to it as fast as her Prada heels could carry her. And the female's eyes instantly went wide as she saw the title of the local rag.

"Santa Cruz?" she demanded. "That can't be right..." She was then about to try to find a phone booth to call her parents, when something else on the newspaper behind the glass caught her eye. "February 10th, 2002!"

The now fully alive Harmony Kendall looked like she was going to faint. "What the hell is going on here? One moment I'm at Graduation with that big demon snake, and the next...I'm here, three years into the future? Someone's got a lot of explaining to do..."

---

**Office of USAF Major Bill Peltzer, Arlington, Virginia.**

**Monday, February 11th 2002**

**11:03 am**

"What's the status of the Steveston project?"

The man in the suit from the main NID office replied, "Slow going. About three-fourths of the townspeople have been taken as hosts by the cloned Goa'uld symbiotes. Estimates are that the ship they're building could be finished by mid- to late November."

"What about our people?" the Major inquired.

"One hundred percent ready," the other man said. "Ready to go in on a moment's notice to take the ship and the hosts."

"Good," Peltzer replied shortly to that. "Now, what about the so-called 'Charmed' project?"

The man shifted in his seat ever so slightly. "Our sources tell me the Charmed Ones are still active." He then sighed. "Although our man in that witch-hunter group says they're not yet ready to strike at the Halliwell home."

Peltzer rolled his eyes. "That group would take a goddamn year just to pick what they wanted for lunch!"

The man agreed but also said, "Well, they're a religious cult. We can't urge them forward too much without getting the brass suspicious."

"I've got half a mind just to have our own black ops team go in and capture those witches, you know," the Major said in annoyance.

"With all due respect," the man replied, "that would be a big mistake. We still don't know the limits of what they can do, and that sort of thing might provoke a bloodbath that we could never satisfactorily cover up. Besides, we saw how well the military handled the supernatural over there in Sunnydale."

"You can relax about that part of it," Peltzer said to that. "I don't intend to shove those behavior modifying chips into the Charmed Ones' heads. I'm sure we can recruit them without that. They're American citizens, so when asked to serve their country I think they won't object too strenuously."

"Well, I don't think we'll be 'asking' them, if you know what I mean," the NID man replied. "But from my reports, they have their own battles to fight. And apparently, such things take priority."

"No," Peltzer shook his head. "Stopping a HST every few weeks or so pales in comparison to stopping an all-out Goa'uld attack!"

"I still don't see what real effect they can generate against the snakes, to be honest," the NID man said.

"Are you kidding?" Peltzer demanded, as he looked at an open folder on his desk. "Listen to these powers. The oldest can move things with her mind, a thousand times better than any of those old programs they tried to develop during the Cold War. The middle one can literally freeze enemy soldiers at will, or disintegrate them. And the youngest is reported to get visions of the future."

"But how can they use these abilities, say, against a fleet of Goa'uld Death Gliders?" the other man asked.

"Well, that's what our testing is for," Peltzer replied. "Only this time, we don't put in charge a female megalomaniac who wants to build a personal army of demon zombies!"

---

**And now...**

**Halliwell Manor Sitting Room**

**Tuesday, February 12th 2002**

**8:55 pm**

Cordelia was dressed in rumpled old sweat pants and a T-shirt while curled up on the couch watching a DVD. Xander was at P3, while her sisters were off doing something else, so this was the perfect time to start munching on popcorn and watch 'Ten Things I Hate About You'.

On the screen, Kat Stratford was kissing the character called Patrick as the camera started to pull away from her car in the middle of the lot...

And then it stopped at the end of the parking lot. Next to a classic car, one that a high school kid could afford to drive only in the movies, a male form shimmered into existence.

Cordelia dropped the popcorn in shock. "Cole?"

Cole Turner, a.k.a. Belthazor, walked to the edge of the screen for her to see him better. "Cordelia, hi. And yeah, this is real. It's a little trick I learned from the demon of illusion."

"But what..." Cordy tried to say, not understanding.

"...am I doing here?" Cole finished her question. "Well, uh, I wasn't sure how you'd react. Thought this might be a safer way of letting you know I'm back...for good."

"Oh boy," Cordelia said with a great deal of inner conflict, as Cole vanished from the screen as quickly as he'd appeared.

---

**P3 club, San Francisco, California.**

**The same time**

Prue and a good-looking young man named Justin walked outside of the club at the end of their date. "So, um, I had a really good time tonight, Justin."

"Did you? I mean, really?" Justin asked her somewhat suspiciously. "Uh, the reason I ask is that you seemed kind of quiet."

Prue shook her head quickly. "I'm sorry. It's just that, you know, I've got a lot on my mind. What with Piper getting married and everything."

"Sure," he replied. "'Course, if I was the paranoid type, I'd be thinking it was because of me..." He then saw something in Prue's eyes he definitely didn't like. "Prue?"

"I'm sorry, Justin, it's not you. Really," she told him a little absently. Then she went on, "It's just - well, I was in an on-again, off-again relationship with this guy named Johnny Domino for ages-"

"The sax player at the House of Soul? I've been there," Justin interrupted.

"Yeah, it's a nice place. But see, recently we finally ended it - completely. So I guess I'm kinda gun shy right now."

Justin wisely decided to just let it go. "Right. So are we still on for lunch tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Prue told him. "Pick me up at one?"

"It's a date."

"Okay," the woman said, as they then kissed somewhat awkwardly.

"Good night," Justin said as he left his date for tonight, mentally wondering if this was even worth pursuing anymore.

"Night." Prue waved to him, before she went back inside the club. And she never even noticed the man that had been watching their conversation.

Back inside the club Prue walked over to Piper and Leo, who were sitting at the bar. The place was crowded for a week night, so the oldest Charmed One beckoned them over to their private alcove. "Hey."

Piper looked at her watch. "Gee, Prue, it's only nine and your date's already over? How very Disney of you!"

Prue waved her off. "Justin has a meeting early in the morning."

"I see," the middle sister looked pretty cynical. "So did you decide whether or not you're going to invite him to the wedding?"

"Not yet," her sibling told her. "Oh, he's a nice guy, he's sweet, but - well, he's no Johnny I'm afraid. Justin's just so predictable, you know? There's no mystery, no savoir-faire." She touched up her lipstick a little then. "You know, besides, a wedding invite definitely makes a statement."

Leo sent her a confused look. "That he can tie a bow tie?"

Prue shook her head at the typical male cluelessness. "No, that the relationship is serious, you know? That it's going somewhere. All that built-in romance, mingling with the family, hidden tensions..."

Leo looked to his fiancée, glad of this perfect opening. "All the more reason to have a nice, simple, private wedding."

Piper shook her head again at once. "Nice try, mister! Okay, the wedding planner, tomorrow at eleven. No getting out of it, no orbing out of it, no nothing. Don't even think it," the young woman told him as a warning, before she left for the bathroom.

Nearby the restrooms the man, the one that had earlier been watching Prue outside, was pretending to be on the payphone. And after the club owner went into the ladies room, the man shape-shifted into a perfect copy of Piper.

Meanwhile, Leo and Prue were still chatting in the alcove. "I don't know," the guardian angel said glumly. "I just don't want to set her up for a big disappointment, that's all. I mean, how can you possibly have a normal wedding when a ghost'll be officiating, and the groom's dead? Not to mention the fact that the bride and bridesmaids are all witches, and the best man's a future whitelighter?"

Prue gave him a pat on the back. "Leo, don't even try to figure it out, alright? It's a Cinderella complex. Every girl goes through it. I've been dreaming of this day my entire life."

Leo sent her a look. "You've been dreaming of Piper's wedding all your life?"

"No, mine!" she told him crossly. "I mean, I'm the oldest. I'm supposed to do everything first. I'm supposed to talk first and get braces and get a boyfriend and find a husband."

At that moment, the fake Piper came up to them. "Hey, Prue. Can I borrow your lipstick?"

"What?"

"Lipstick," the shape-shifter repeated. "I'm out. Do you mind?"

Prue shrugged and quickly dug the small tube out of her purse. "Sure, knock yourself out." Fake Piper took it and just walked away. "You're welcome!" Prue called after her, annoyed.

Once back in the hallway and obscured from view, the shape-shifter morphed back into his original appearance - that of a male warlock. He inspected the lipstick briefly, before blinking out of the club.

---

**Unknown location, The Underworld.**

**The same time**

The warlock, who was known as Zile reappeared in a large chamber. The sides were covered with rubble and rats, while a makeshift altar was on a stone platform. He kneeled and spoke a small summoning incantation. And only seconds later, a female demon with slightly Asian features appeared out of the ground. "Priestess Dantalian."

"Were you successful?" the demonic priestess demanded as she went around the altar.

Zile took out the lipstick, and handed it to her. "She's as beautiful as you said she'd be."

Dantalian took the small tube. "You're certain this has touched her lips?"

"Absolutely. I watched her all night," Zile declared as he watched her put things into a potions bowl. "And not to be ungrateful, but what do you get out of making Prue Halliwell my wife?"

"I'm a humble servant of the Source, Zile," the demoness said as she laid the lipstick into the bowl. "I get nothing other than the benefits we all reap whenever good is turned evil."

Zile nodded at that. "Still, for all the unions you've consecrated? It seems you should get something, especially for this one."

As she opened a box and dropped a live small scorpion into the bowl, Dantalian admitted, "There is a spoil that intrigues me." She waited a moment to observe the spell working. "The Halliwell Book of Shadows is said to be the most magical of all tomes."

"The witch's Book of Shadows?" Zile asked, surprised. "That shouldn't be too hard to get."

"It is," Dantalian told him. "Evil cannot touch it, although turning Prue evil should turn her sisters and their Book evil as well. Their magic is interconnected."

Zile grinned. "Ah, the flaw of the Charmed Ones, turn one and the others fall." He looked back to Dantalian, "Well then, I'll get it for you myself as a 'token' of my gratitude."

Dantalian dipped her hand into the bowl as she motioned him to kneel with the other. "First things first. Getting the witch here so I can perform the ceremony? That's what this potion is for." She wiped the potion over the demon's lips. "Kiss her, and it paralyzes her. After I bind you in marriage, she'll fall into a deep sleep where the transformation to evil will occur."

---

**San Francisco Memorial Hospital, San Francisco, California.**

**The next morning**

Xander and Cordelia sat in the two chairs within the small exam room as they waited. "I hope they can figure this out."

"At least we know it's not some magical curse," Cordelia pointed out. "That's a plus."

"I almost wish it was," her boyfriend told her. "Then it could just be un-spelled already."

"You sure this hasn't shown up in your family before?" Cordelia wondered.

"My relatives only pass out after drinking too much," Harris told her. "Nothing like this."

Cordelia looked at the clock for a moment before she started. "Xander, I have to tell you something that happened last..." But she was cut off as the door opened and the female doctor came in.

"Find anything?" Xander asked the woman as she sat down.

"No," the doctor admitted. "So far, we've seen nothing in your blood tests that could cause the symptoms you're describing."

"Damn," Xander sighed.

"There's no weird disease or STD that causes this?"

"STD!" Xander asked his girlfriend. "Something you're not telling me, Cor?"

"No!" Cordelia said quickly. "I mean...I don't...I never..."

"It's nothing that I've found any reference to as of yet," the doctor said, letting Cordelia off the hook. "I'm going to talk to a few specialists that have done sleep studies."

"You think I'm sleepwalking?" Xander asked her.

"At first, I would have said no," the doctor replied. "From what you've described, in your fugue state you're still active - more than you would need to be for sleepwalking. But it pays to get an expert's opinion just in case." She took out a pad and wrote out a prescription. "This is something I want you to try. Take one before bed and try to get a full eight hours sleep. And I think you better stop driving for a while."

"Do I have to?" Xander sighed. "This isn't a small town where everything is within walking distance, ya know."

"Well, I can drive the Cuda Xander," Cordelia told him. "Or else Leo can give you a lift to work and back."

"Great..." Xander said, annoyed.

A few minutes later, the doctor was watching the young couple leave as another M.D. came over. "So that's the mystery patient?" he asked her. "Heard he's having blackouts or something."

"Well, honestly, I don't know what it is yet," she told her colleague. "He's doing fine and then boom, he finds himself somewhere else with no memory of how he got there."

"Alzheimer's?" the other doctor asked.

"He's a bit young for that."

"Yeah," the second doctor said. "But it's not unheard of either."

"True. God, I really hope it's not that," Xander's doctor sighed. "Personally, I want to rule everything else out before I give that young man a diagnosis which'll totally destroy his life."

---

**Halliwell Manor**

**A while later**

Prue, Leo and the two wedding planners were standing in the foyer as Piper walked down the stairs. "Okay, so the more traditional the better as far as I'm concerned. The wedding march starts, and I come down the stairs," the middle sister told the planners.

The female planner, Marie, checked her clipboard. "So, no flower girl?"

"Nope," Piper said. "Not this time."

Marie looked around. "Well, I think we should at least dress the banister with garlands. Maybe even carry the floral theme all the way to the altar. How many guests are you planning on?"

"Uh, let me think," Piper smiled. "Fifty, sixty?"

Leo looked at her, instantly surprised. "Sixty? Like who?"

Piper shrugged. "Well, there are all the people from P3, friends, Darryl and Dad, Mom..."

"Uh, Mom?" Prue asked her sister. "Piper, I don't really think that you can count her."

"We'll have to if she's going to eat," the male planner, Craig told them.

Prue gave him a small smile. "Oh, trust me, she won't be eating."

Marie checked her notes. "I thought your mother passed on."

Prue made a face at that slip. "Mmm-hmm."

"Right, she did," Piper said quickly. "Um, I just I meant I hope she's there in spirit."

"Oh," the female planner replied. (Sometimes, I hate this job. Geez, the weirdos you meet on occasion...)

"You're right, that doesn't count," Craig said as he crossed out the name on his pad. "Now, have you thought of what kind of hors douvres you'd like by any chance?"

"Pigs in a blanket," Leo suggested, causing Piper to laugh.

"Uh, honey," she said. "I was hoping for something a little bit more elegant."

The phone rang, and Prue decided to use it as a means to get out of this. "I'll get it!" she said, as the oldest sister headed for the kitchen.

"I like pigs in a blanket," the guardian angel then said.

Piper took Leo by the arm. "Excuse us," she told the planners as she dragged him into another room.

"We still need to place the ice sculpture!" Craig called after them.

Once they were out of earshot Piper looked to her fiancé. "What is the matter with you? Why are you doing this?"

"Because this is a disaster waiting to happen, that's why," the whitelighter answers her honestly.

"Oh!" Piper replied heatedly. "Well, keep that up and it will be!"

Leo shook his head. "Piper, I love you, and I want nothing more for you than to have your dream wedding, but you are kidding yourself with this. We don't need wedding planners. We just need us."

"You may not need wedding planners, but I do," Ms. Halliwell told him. "I don't want to have to worry about anything. And therefore, if I have to fight a demon in the morning, I know that the flowers will still be there on time."

"It's not the flowers that I'm worried about," Leo told her. "It's the guests. As in how do we explain everything to them? I mean, a whitelighter marrying a witch is hardly traditional."

"Obviously," Piper said in annoyance.

---

**Halliwell Manor Kitchen**

**The same time**

"Okay, Justin, I'll meet you there. Bye," Prue said before hanging up the phone. Before she could go back to join in the planning fun, Xander and Cordelia came home through the back door. "Hey guys, what did the doctor say?"

"They don't know," Xander grumbled. "I can figure out a demonic plot to end the world...but I can't figure out what's going on in my own head? Some days, life just sucks."

"We'll figure it out together, honey," Cordelia told him. "Now get upstairs and get some rest."

"Yeah, sure," Harris told her grouchily as he walked towards the hall.

"They don't know?" Prue asked her sister after Xander had left. "Having blackouts is something that you'd think they would know how to fix!"

"You'd think," Cordelia said with a sigh.

Prue shrugged. "You want to do the spell again to see if something is doing bad mojo on him?"

"Maybe later," Cordelia said as she went back to the door. "I have to go do something first."

"Okay, I'm on my way to meet Justin. I can help after that," Prue told her as they both went in separate directions.

Piper came over to Prue at once. "Okay, tell me the truth. Do you think I'm overdoing it with the wedding stuff?"

"Eh, guys always think women overdo stuff," Prue replied as she grabbed her jacket. "Um, okay, I have to go. Can I have my lipstick back?"

"What lipstick?" Piper asked, confused.

Prue looked at her. "The one that you borrowed last night at the club."

"No..." Piper said in confusion. "Wasn't me."

Prue rolled her eyes. "Right, I must've gotten you confused with 'another' Piper. Okay, you have fun with what's going on here, 'cause it, it looks great. Okay, bye."

---

**Crest Hill Cemetery, San Francisco, California.**

**A while later**

Cordelia looked around the old mausoleum. "Cole?" When no one replied, she went deeper down the stairs to the end before trying again. "Cole?" This time, she got an answer.

"Cordelia?" Cole asked as he came into the light. When he saw her alone, the half-breed grinned in delight. "I knew you'd know where to find me-"

Cordelia growled and lashed out with her fist. A solid right nailed the taller man in the jaw, "You son of a bitch!"

"Ah, not quite the reaction I was expecting," Cole said as he shook his head and then held his jaw. "But still..."

"Shut up," Cordelia said, deadly serious. "Are you causing Xander's blackout trouble?"

"Your pesky mortal boyfriend's ill?" Cole asked her. "Sorry, but this is news to me. I haven't really had time to look him up as of late, not that I'd want to of course."

"You're just going to stand there and tell me you're not messing with his head?" Cordelia demanded.

"I haven't done anything to that guy," Cole told her. (Not lately, anyway.) "You can believe me, or not."

"If you're lying to me, Cole, I swear you'll regret it..." the Charmed One said with venom. "And just for the record, whatever you thought was going on between us? Forget it, it's over."

"I don't believe that," Cole replied at once. "You can't deny that deep down, you felt something for me. All those looks and..." He stopped for a moment. "Cordelia. In your heart, you know that a Charmed One can't and won't last with a mortal. You and Harris live in different worlds...and you won't get the whole white picket fence deal with him, however pleasant the fantasy may be."

"And I would with a demon?" Cordelia spat back, suddenly hating herself for flirting way too much with this guy when he was the assistant DA. "Cole, if I ever see you again, I'm gonna do what I should've done a long time ago. Which is vanquish your sorry ass, once and for all!"

Cole just sighed. "Apparently, distance hasn't exactly made the heart grow fonder."

The brunette woman just looked at him in disgust, as she turned to leave.

"Cordelia, wait. Hey!" he called out after her. "Look, I took a huge risk coming out in the open and contacting you. The least you can do is hear me out! I've been hiding this whole time, shimmering from realm to realm to keep the Source from realizing you didn't vanquish my 'sorry ass'. You're the only one who knows I'm still alive-"

"No, I'm not," Cordelia lied. "My sisters know too."

"No they don't, and neither does Leo or Harris," Cole replied, seeing through that one in an instant. "If they did, then you wouldn't be here by yourself." He looked at her with genuine emotion that Cordelia couldn't tell if it was real or not. "I've risked my life for you, Cordelia. My very soul!"

The witch briefly laughed at the soul line. "Trust me, I've seen the damage evil with a soul can do!"

"Damn it," Cole swore. "Cordelia, I've put myself in more danger coming back here than you could possibly imagine! And all because I want to try and figure out how to make this work between us."

"There is no 'us', you dimwit!" Cordelia told him harshly. "All right, I'll admit there was flirting. Probably more than there should have been - and you do have that roguishly handsome Marlboro Man thing going for you as well. But unlike some girls I know...I don't just accept demons because they have an attractive outer shell."

"At least let me try!" Cole pleaded. "I can suppress my demonic half, just like I suppressed my human half before we met. I can be good. You've seen that. And if you know I can, then why can't we be together?"

"Because I'm with someone else, the man that I'm going to marry one day," Cordelia told him bluntly. "I love Xander, not you. Now stay out of our lives! And if I hear of you killing any more innocents, don't think for a second the Power of Three won't vaporize you."

As he watched her walk up the stairs and leave, Cole wound up and threw an energy ball against the wall in sheer fury and frustration. He hated the fact that since he was trying to be good, he couldn't just kill his 'foe' for Cordy's affections. "Well, that didn't go well now, did it?" he asked himself.

---

**Mario's Italian Bistro, San Francisco, California.**

**An hour later**

Justin came into the restaurant with a grin on his face. He stopped and asked the hostess where his date was sitting, then stopped a waiter and handed him a fifty. When he reached the secluded booth Prue was in, he just stopped and stared at her. "You look lovely today."

Prue looked up from her water, surprised. "Ah, thanks. And you seem pretty relaxed for a guy who had his car die on him."

"Ah, yes," he said as he picked up her hand and kissed it. "Sorry about that. But not even that could keep me away from a woman like yourself. Plus, it's never a good idea to keep a lady waiting."

Prue looked at him strangely for a moment, wondering what was going on. "Oh, well, that's okay."

As he sat down Justin told her, "You know, I really should sell that old thing but, I don't know, I kind of like having something not so predictable in this day and age. Know what I mean?"

"Right," Prue replied, wondering what happened to the rather dull guy she'd dated last night. "So, you don't think of yourself as predictable?"

"Me?" he asked her. "Hardly."

At that moment the waiter that had been handsomely tipped came over to the booth with an old bottle of wine. "Pardon me. Beringer, private reserve?"

"Yes," Justin said with a smirk as the waiter started to pour. "Thank you."

---

**Halliwell Manor Front Steps**

**The same time**

Cordelia rounded the concert wall and headed up the steps, only to see a man waiting at the front door. "Hey, Justin."

The man turned back to her, "Oh hey."

"What are you doing here?" Cordelia asked as she reached the top step.

"Just picking up Prue for lunch," he replied.

Cordelia stopped and looked at him. "Picking her up?" When the man nodded, Cordelia quickly pulled him through the door. "Piper!"

Justin was confused by her urgency. "Is something wrong?"

"Hope not," Cordelia told him as Piper came into the foyer.

"What's up?" the middle child asked.

"Where's Prue?" Cordelia asked.

Piper took notice of Justin and got a strange look. "I don't know. At the restaurant?"

"Supposedly meeting Justin," Cordelia said with a head nod toward the guy.

Justin shook his head. "No, I told her I'd pick her up here."

Piper looked at him. "I thought you called here...she went to meet you there."

"No, no," the man told them. "I was with a client all morning so I couldn't have called."

Piper and Cordelia exchanged worried looks.

---

**Mario's Italian Bistro**

**The same time**

'Justin' handed Prue her glass of wine. "And for the lady..."

Prue quickly put her hand up. "Oh, no, no. I have to work this afternoon."

The guy just shrugged. "So your photographs are a little fuzzy. Call it avant-garde."

"Ah..." Prue started to protest but was cut off as her cell phone rang. She moved to answer it, but the fake Justin put his hand on hers, stopping her.

"How important can it be?" he asked her with a smile.

She shrugged and turned off her phone. When Prue saw a weird look on his face she asked, "What?"

"Can I ask you a favor?" he said.

"Sure."

'Justin' looked sympathetic. "Last night when we kissed goodbye, it was, I don't know, not great. That thing about your ex-boyfriend sort of killed the mood."

"Yeah," she conceded. "I guess."

"How about we try it again, see if we can do it a little better?" To convince her he prodded, "Come on. What's the worst that could happen?"

After a few more convincing words, the couple leaned in to kiss. But Prue was quickly wishing she didn't, when the kiss was broken...

And she saw that she was in a new place, dark with some kind of altar. Plus all she could do was talk. "Where the hell am I? I can't move!" Prue said hotly.

"My apologies," 'Justin' said, as he morphed back into Zile.

Dantalian came out from the shadows. After a look at Prue's still form she said to Zile, "It's true. Every bride is beautiful on her wedding day."

"Say what!" Prue demanded in shock and horror.

---

**Halliwell Manor Dining Room**

**The same time**

Cordelia had the large city map out over the table and had started scrying for her missing sister. Piper came in lugging the Book of Shadows, "Find her?"

"Not yet," Cordelia said as she held the crystal above the map.

Piper set the book down and groaned, "We're screwed."

"Not yet," her sister told her.

Piper looked up as Leo orbed in on the other side of the table. "Leo, what did you find out?"

"Nothing," her fiancé said sadly.

Cordelia grabbed the crystal and sat back, "Okay, now we're screwed."

Piper looked between the other two. "Nothing on the map, nothing in the Book. Leo, somebody must know something!"

Leo shook his head. "Well, the Elders support your shape-shifting warlock theory, but they can't get a clear read on the situation."

"Wait," Cordelia said. "So Prue's vanished from your radar and something's jamming theirs?"

"Something like that," Leo told her. "But she can't be dead. They'd be able to sense that, no matter how evil is interfering."

"Okay, then what's going on? What are we up against?" Cordelia demanded.

"Something powerful enough to keep us from finding her," Piper sighed.

"Well, you knew as your powers grew, the evils would too," Leo pointed out.

"Well, okay," Piper said. "But so powerful that we can't figure out who they are, let enough how to fight them? That sucks!"

"What we need to figure out is why a warlock wants Prue alive," Leo said as he went next to his future wife.

"Well, it can't just be for her powers," Cordelia reasoned. "I mean, they wouldn't need to keep her alive to get them."

"Unless it's an upper-level warlock, which wants..." Leo thought.

"All of our powers!" Cordelia growled.

"Well if we can't find Prue, maybe we should try the evil side of the problem?" Piper asked.

"Evil..." Cordelia repeated.

"Yeah?" Piper said as her sister got up and grabbed her jacket. "Where are you going?"

"I have a hunch on where to go for that part of it," Cordelia told them. "I'll call if it pans out, you guys keep looking here. Who knows, we might get a break."

---

**Dantalian's Lair, the Underworld**

**A while later**

Prue was now out cold and dressed in a black version of a demonic wedding dress. The evil priestess covered her face with a dark veil. She motioned for Zile to come over to the prone form of the Charmed One. "Shall we begin?"

"Of course," Zile told her. "I'm ready."

"I hope so," she told him as the demoness put a hand on each of the couple's foreheads. "In the beginning, you were damned, and through damnation, you found freedom, power, and purpose. As I unite you today, I remind you of those gifts." She moved and tied Zile's and Prue's hands together. "And in your union, may these gifts increase your powers and grow in the service of evil. So be it."

After she was done, Zile asked, "How long before her transformation is complete?"

"Sundown," he was told. "Can you wait that long?"

He just grinned. "For the power of the Charmed Ones? Yes, I can wait a few hours."

Dantalian leaned over him. "Let me be the first to congratulate you." She kissed the warlock briefly and smiled as he quickly froze up the same way Prue had.

"Why?" he demanded.

Dantalian looks at him simply. "Because I'm tired of bestowing great power on others. The Halliwell Book of Shadows is the key to unbelievable power for me. Evil will spread from this sister to the other two, from them to the Book, and once the Book is evil, it'll be mine, and I will be unstoppable!" She shoved him down to the altar next to Prue.

"But know this. I will enjoy killing you all of you," Dantalian said darkly.

---

**Crest Hill Cemetery, San Francisco, California.**

**A while later**

Cordelia quickly came down the stairs of the mausoleum. "Cole? Cole? Uh, please, if you can hear me, I..."

Cole shimmered in at once. "And here I was beginning to think I'd never see you again."

"I'm not here because of the 'us' thing," she told him firmly. "I need you to help me and just so we're clear, even if you do, it doesn't change anything between us."

Cole smirked, he couldn't help it when this young woman laid down the law like that. "Well, when you put it that way...I'm listening."

"Prue was taken," she told him. "By a warlock."

"Do you know which one?" Cole asked. "There's kind of a lot of them."

"We think he's a shape-shifter," Cordelia replied. "But the weird thing is, nobody from our side could get a read on where he's hiding her."

Cole was mildly surprised by that. "Well, that doesn't make sense. Warlocks don't have that kind of power. He must be working with somebody that does. Certain dignitaries have the power to shield their activities. Demonic judges, dark priests, anyone who needs privacy for rituals."

"Rituals," Cordelia asked. "What kind of rituals? To accomplish what?"

"It's hard to say. Could be anything," he told her. "They may want your Book. We all want your Book, even I did...well, uh, at first anyway."

Cordelia tried to stay on topic. "Well, how can we find out who wants it now?"

"I could check around, but I'd risk my enemies finding out that I was still alive," he told her. "And I'm sure someone would just love to present my scalp as a trophy in order to curry favor with the higher-ups down there."

"I want my sister back," Cordelia told him simply. "If you can help, then I want ya to do so."

"No matter what the cost?" the half-demon asked.

"I want my sister back," she repeated firmly.

Cole moved closer to her. "I'm doing this for 'you'. Know that."

The witch said nothing. As he backed away the guy added, "You might not hear back from me, someone might get lucky and I'll have to disappear."

Cordy just watched without a word as he shimmered out.

---

**Halliwell Manor Living Room**

**A while later**

Leo came over and sat next to Piper, who was looking through the Book confused. "I thought you said there was nothing in the Book."

Piper stopped flipping through the pages. "Well, now there's just a whole bunch of weirdness in it. Look."

Leo looked, and the mystical tome indeed looked darker somehow. Plus, the spell listed on the page Piper had open caused some definite alarm. "Hemlock killing spell? That doesn't belong in there."

"No," Piper agreed, "But it does have possibilities."

"Piper!" Leo looked at her sharply.

"I'm sorry," the witch said after a moment. "I-I don't know what I was..." Before she could finish her sentence, the woman vanished from the couch. As in literally.

"Piper?" Leo called out, concerned.

"In here," her voice replied from the kitchen, amused. "Somehow."

Leo quickly ran into the other room to join her. "You blinked!"

"I did not," Piper told him. "Only warlocks do that."

Leo didn't let up. "Well, Piper, you did it."

Cordelia came through the back door in a hurry. "Hey," she said as the woman saw their looks. "What's going on?"

Leo didn't waste any time. "Your sister's blinking."

Cordelia stopped in her tracks. "I-I'm, I'm sorry, what?"

"Okay, I admit it, it was definitely weird, but it was kinda fun," Piper told her younger sister. "I was in there and I was thinking about the kitchen and then suddenly, boom! Here I was."

"That is so cool," Cordelia figured.

"I know, isn't it?" Piper confirmed.

"Except that it's a warlock's power," Leo told them. "Big not good here."

Cordelia looked at him in annoyance. "So what? They're always trying to get ours, it's about time we got one of theirs!"

Piper grabbed her sister's arm. "Try it, Cordy."

"Okay, what do I do?" Cordelia asked. "Just think?"

Piper nodded, almost giddy. "Think and blink."

Leo could not believe what he was seeing as Cordelia blinked out of the room, then Piper did it again as well.

"Catch us if you can!" Piper called out to him.

It took him a moment to find them again in the sun room. And to the whitelighter's growing horror Cordelia looked like she was getting high on weed. "Have you tried it yet, Leo? It's a real head rush!"

"Do you realize how serious this is?" the guardian angel told them accusingly. "You're blinking, the Book is changing."

Piper shrugged. "Maybe we're blinking because of the Book."

"The Book is changing because of you," he told her. "It's an extension of you, all three of you."

"Huh," Piper thought about it. "I should care about that, but I don't."

Leo didn't know what to do. "This is what I was afraid of. Whoever's got Prue is somehow reaching you too!"

"Okay, Leo," Cordelia told the guy. "I can tell this is really upsetting you and all, but I gotta tell you, I really like this whole think-it-and-it-happens deal. I mean, think of the time we could save not chanting."

"Good point," her sister said to that.

"Piper, Cordelia, you have to fight this!"

At the sound of the doorbell rang, Piper looked back at it. "Or we could answer the door," she said with a grin.

Leo got in front of her. "For Prue's sake, stop."

Piper looked at him coldly. "Don't ever tell me what to do."

"Cordelia, I need your help here," thee man tried to reach the younger sister.

"I am so tired of helping people!" Cordelia replied, bad memories of Sunnydale rearing their ugly head. Especially the stuff with regard to Buffy and Willow, and how her boyfriend had always seemed to prioritize them over her during the bad old days. "It's always me, me, me with them..."

Piper opened the door to find the two wedding planners standing there. "So glad you're home. We have some new floral sketches we'd like you to see," one of them said.

"Now's not really a good time..." Leo tried but was stopped by Piper. "They're welcome to come in, Leo."

Craig opened his folder. "I revisited the dinner menu, Piper, and you are going to be thrilled. I have some dynamic choices that I-"

"I want pigs in blankets," Piper told him suddenly.

Both planners shared a look before laughing. "It's nice to see a bride who still has a sense of humour this close to the big day," Marie commented.

"No," Piper told her. "I want pigs in blankets." She waved her left hand and the male planner suddenly morphed into a live pig, covered in a blue blanket.

As the female planner screamed at the sight of the impossible, Cordelia just laughed. "She seems scared," the youngest Halliwell told her sister.

"I always had her pegged as an ice queen," Piper noted.

"Hey, being one is not that bad sometimes!" Cordelia commented. "But you know what...?"

"Way ahead of you sis," Piper said as she waved her hands and Marie froze in place...and was covered head to toe in two-inch ice. "Now there's a freezing power with kick."

"Have you guys lost your minds?" Leo demanded, as he regained his voice.

"Oh, Leo, get on board or leave the station," Cordelia told him as she rolled her eyes. "Whatever it is, this is fabulous. You can't imagine the freedom, the power..."

Leo kept trying. "Cordelia, that is evil talking. You have to fight it."

Cordy looked over to her big sister, annoyed. "What did you ever see in him anyway?"

"I don't know," Piper admitted. "He is kind of a stick in the mud, isn't he?"

Cordelia smiled. "Oooh, another great idea. May I?"

"Be my guest," Piper told her.

"Alright, think about the Power of Three-" Leo started to say but stopped as he too morphed into something else. An old bucket full of mud, with a long pole coming out from it.

"Look at all the fun we've been missing," Cordelia said, a huge megawatt smile on her face.

Piper nodded. "And this is just the beginning."

They both went into the kitchen to gossip about their new powers for a while. And when they came back to the foyer, Cordelia was holding a huge butcher's knife. She stood over the man turned pig, "Oh, you know, it's your wedding. Shouldn't the first kill be yours?"

Piper shrugged. "This is too easy. It's boring. I want to do something, I don't know...bigger."

"Well, count me in," her sister said.

"You know," Piper thought out loud. "If what's happening to us is happening to Prue..."

Cordelia got it. "The Power of Three can be truly amazing. We have to find her, the things we can do!"

"But first we need to clean house," Piper said as she waved her hand and undid the magic on the two wedding planners. Both man and woman instantly looked at the two witches in pure fear.

"You might want to run now," Cordelia told them.

The two did just that, and Piper laughed as Marie pushed Craig aside to get out the door first. After they burned rubber out of there Cordelia wondered, "What about Mr. Stick in the mud?"

Piper considered it, and then undid that magic as well.

"What happened to Craig and Marie?" Leo asked, looking around confused.

Piper grinned at him. "Oh, they flew right outta here. Scared the hell out of them."

"Right now though, priorities," Cordelia said. "Leo, we need to find Prue."

"Good, Cordelia," he said to that. "Focus on that. It'll help you resist the evil."

Cordelia gave him a sweet smile. "The only thing I'm resisting right now is the desire to rip you to pieces and throw them out in the trash!"

"But if you help us find Prue," Piper told him. "We'll leave you alone...for the moment."

"Oh, puh-lease!" Cordelia suddenly said. She had noticed, as did Piper, as Leo looked up towards the heavens the way he always did when the Elders called him.

Piper swatted his arm. "Yeah, Leo, ignore them. What do they know? They're backing the losing team!"

"Piper, you don't understand. They've revoked my assignment with all three of you," Leo told the duo sadly.

"What?" Piper asked, a little surprised. "They can't do that. We haven't even done anything wrong...yet!"

"Yes you did," he told her. "You gave into evil. You've relinquished your right to a whitelighter. I'm sorry."

"What about Xander? Is he, like, still on your list?" Cordelia instantly asked, shifting her head upwards and staring in the direction of her bedroom.

Leo looked up to his bosses again. Then he looked back at the sisters, "Yes. He's not been affected by what's happened to you guys, so my orders from the Elders are to get him out of here-"

Piper instantly blasted her betrothed with all the power at her command, from both witch and warlock sources - which caused Leo Wyatt to burst into a brilliant collection of blue-white lights.

After the lights had slowly vanished into oblivion, Piper went from sad to happy in an instant. "Oh, too bad, he's gone. But silver lining, we're free!"

"Yes!" Cordelia said, very happy as well.

"No more obeying the rules, considering the consequences, none of that crap!" Piper grinned.

"Time to find Prue and go for broke," Cordelia said excitedly, as she moved for the stairs.

"Now where are you going?" Piper demanded.

Cordelia stopped and waved her hand over her outfit. "Well, I can't wreak havoc dressed like this now, can I?"

"Oh," Piper said with a frown, as she looked over her own outfit. "Good point."

---

**Cordelia and Xander's bedroom**

**A few minutes later**

Consciousness came back slowly to Xander Harris. He groggily became aware of a few things. First, he was completely naked, and second some sort of magically floating light gave the room a romantic mood setting. Lastly, he saw that his girlfriend was dressed in a matching set of black and pink bra and panties, as she straddled his groin.

"Wakey-wakey, Xander," Cordelia cooed. "Guess what? I want to play."

"Cordy?" Harris asked, as he got up on his elbows. "Uh, not that I'm complaining here...I mean trust me, I'm not..."

"I can tell!" Cordelia giggled as she looked down.

"But, I took that pill that the doc prescribed and my head is-"

"Oh!" she said. "I forgot about that." She waved her hand over his head, and Xander's sluggishness cleared immediately. "How's that?"

"Good," Xander replied with a mix of gratitude and confusion. "Great, actually. But I thought we didn't have any 'play' time scheduled for today?"

"No big," Cordy waved him off. "I have some time before we go find Prue."

"Prue?" Xander asked at once in concern. "She's missing?"

"Oh, that's so cute!" Cordelia told him with a feral grin. "You want to help. But don't you worry your pretty little head about her, she'll be fine." She leaned in, giving the young man very close-up look at her cleavage. "And right now, I want to have me some fun."

So saying, the former good witch pushed Harris down and started to make out heavily with him. It took all Xander's willpower to get her off of him and say, "Cordy, what's happened to you? You're telling me that Prue's missing, possibly captured by someone evil, and you want to have sex?"

"Like you don't want to!" Cordy griped. "You always want me to do this and that..." She frowned. "But when I get in the mood for a quickie it's all 'no, no, we have to find Prue'. Honestly, Xander!" She pushed him down with one hand. "Piper is looking into where she is...so, we have some time."

"Cordy!"

She sat up, getting upset and mean. "God, what is your problem? Normally by now you'd be raring to go, have me over halfway to Happy Town, but you're acting just like Leo...boring as hell!" Cordelia Halliwell thought for a moment, before a big grin came over her beautiful face. "Oh, wait just a minute. I have the perfect idea how to get you back into the mood for some fun stuff!"

"You do..." Xander trailed off, as his head suddenly felt like a ton of bricks. The man could vaguely see Cordelia's giddy face looking down at him, but then his mind became a lot more...primal in thought and nature.

When his eyes flashed yellow and he got a very big grin to match hers, the woman clapped in joy. "Alright, Hyena Boy is back!"

Xander laughed, a creepy sound that Buffy and Willow would have recognized at once. The one-time Chase woman then leaned back in and started to make out with the re-possessed guy, having unleashing the remnants of something that had been locked away for nearly five years.

Xander went with it, as his hands started tearing at Cordelia's clothing - and fairly soon, the hyena had her as naked as the day she was born. Just as he was about to mount her and claim his territory though, the animalistic version of Xander stopped. Much to Cordy's obvious chagrin.

"Mate," Harris growled, his eyes reflecting desire and yet also confusion. This was the creature he had bonded with, and wanted to impregnate with his seed to bear his pups, but right now she smelled...wrong.

"That's righ - ow!" Cordelia yelled as he bit her lip. She slapped him, and instantly Xander growled at her. "Hey! Good dogs don't bite, Xander!"

She snapped her fingers, and a collar with a chain to the headboard appeared around his neck. As Xander struggled against it with no luck, Cordelia made a small horse riding crop appear in her hand.

"It looks like my little doggy will need some obedience training tonight," the nude brunette said with a very serious look. "And just so you know, baby, I'm sure I'm going to have you doing tricks in no time..."

---

**Restfield Cemetery, Sunnydale, California**

**The same time**

The Scooby gang was on patrol tonight, a group outing for once as everyone had some free time.

Things had been quiet lately, ever since Angel and Kennedy had left town. And Spike had dropped off the white hats' radar, having gotten completely fed up with having to scavenge about for his food this way. He wasn't quite ready to quit Sunnydale once and for all, due to his friendship with Dawn and Joyce, but Buffy's continuous and contemptuous rejection of his affections had worn his patience damned thin ever since last year.

Buffy, Giles, and Willow ran towards the sudden sounds of fighting. Then they heard what sounded like gunfire. When they finally got to the far wall of the cemetery, they all stopped dead in their tracks.

"My word," Giles said stunned at the sight.

"Uh, do you have a taller...and more bustier sister, Buffy?" Willow asked her friend, confused.

"Not that I know...hey!" Buffy exclaimed in annoyance.

"Buffy, not now," Giles said as he watched the new woman fighting several vampires and a demon on her own.

She was about six feet tall with blond hair, in a long braid down the back. A tied-up belly shirt was showing a lot of cleavage and there was a leather bomber jacket as well. Buffy was about to go help when the mystery woman threw a vampire away from her with ease, and then whipped out a sawed-off shotgun and blew a hole in the chest of the demon.

The last two vampires tried to gang up on her, but she easily avoided their attacks and staked one in the back. She grabbed the other one by the neck, and twisted it with in human strength. It made a sickening sound as it cracked, and the woman quickly decapitated the enemy with a large K-Bar knife.

"Eww," Buffy said as she saw that. "Demon?" she asked her Watcher.

"I'm honestly not sure..." Giles started, before the woman moved with superhuman speed and had the shotgun level with his face.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" the woman demanded of Giles with a British accent.

"Ah..." Giles stammered. "Rupert Giles," he got out

The woman looked him in the eyes, before she lowered the weapon. "The Watcher."

"You have me at a disadvantage, young lady," Giles said when he was sure the gun was swung back around the woman's back.

"Yeah, who are you?" Buffy demanded as she held her stake ready.

The woman looked at Buffy for a moment, then turned back to Giles. "A stake? That's all she has for a weapon? Damn the Watchers Council and their inability to come out of the Middle Ages..." the femme said as she started to leave.

"Hey!" Buffy called as she grabbed her arm. "You come into my town and don't want to introduce yourself? Some people would call that rude."

"If you bloody well insist on it," the woman sighed, as she easily freed herself. She looked to Giles. "I'm Elsa Bloodstone."

"Bloodstone?" Giles asked, shocked. "Yes...I've heard you've taken over your father's work, but I didn't expect to ever see you on the Hellmouth though."

She looked at him funny. "Please, Mr. Giles. Where else would a demon hunter like me go?"

"Point," Giles conceded. He looked to the choker around her neck. "I take it that, that's the..."

"The Bloodstone," Elsa told him. "Yes it is, and no, I won't let you handle it. I've not met a Watcher yet who plays fair with regard to powerful magical items."

"Giles isn't like the other Watchers we've met in the past!" Willow said, defending him. "He's nice."

"You're the low-power witch?" Elsa asked her casually.

"Low-power?" Willow shrieked. "I have loads of power, lady!"

Elsa nodded to Giles, "Is he doing double duty as your whitelighter as well then?"

"Well, no..." Willow admitted.

"Then I rest my case."

"May I ask why you've come to the Hellmouth at this time?" Giles asked her.

"Shax," Elsa told him. "He was seen here, barely two days ago."

"Shax?" Buffy asked Giles.

"An upper-level demon that works for the Source of All Evil," the shopkeeper told his charge.

"What does he look like?" Buffy asked. "I might have killed him already."

Elsa laughed outright at her. "Trust me. If you had fought Shax, and by some act of God lived, you would know it."

Buffy looked at her, annoyed. "I can slay any vamp or demon I come across-"

"Whatever you say, shrimp," Elsa said disinterestedly before she walked away.

"Shrimp?" Buffy called after her. "Hey! Who the hell are you calling a shrimp?"

---

**Cordelia and Xander's bedroom, Halliwell Manor, San Francisco.**

**Some time later**

Xander was laying under the covers unconscious, with the dog collar still tight around his neck. Cordelia was just finishing putting on her robe when Cole shimmered in. And as he took in the sight, the half-human frowned. "So this is what you do for fun now?"

Cordelia didn't even get upset at his showing up, much to Cole's hidden concern. "What can I say, I just felt like playing with my little pet for a while."

"Your pet?" Cole asked in disbelief as he saw the riding crop on the bed. "Well, you're just full of surprises today..."

"What did you find out?" Cordelia asked him in a no-nonsense tone as she went behind the changing screen and started to disrobe.

Cole didn't know what to make of this as he saw the shadow figure take off the robe, "The search for Prue's on the back burner now?"

"Cole," Cordelia said over the screen. "Piper's working on it. Now what did you find out?"

"Well," the half-demon muttered as Cordelia reached out and pulled a pair of jeans off a chair. "If what I've learned is true, then Prue's in serious trouble. She's been forced to marry a warlock."

Cordelia laughed. "Figures that bitch would steal Piper's thunder!"

Cole decided to give up trying to understand this for now. "No, no, you don't understand. A high-level demon priestess named Dantalian is rumoured to have married them." He watched as Cordy pulled on a top and finally came out. "She's got the power to turn Prue evil, and turn you evil too. Which...is what I'm guessing has happened here?" he finally got it with a grimace.

The evil witch came out with a very tight V-neck top, one that showed an indecent amount of cleavage. She came over to him and cupped his face, as Cole stared at that oh-so-tempting face and body. "So? Isn't that the way you want me?"

Cole backed up at once. "No, that is not how I want you. It's not how I want 'us' to be. Cordelia, this isn't the real you. The real Cordelia Halliwell, the woman I love, is a good person. And that's who I want to spend my life with!"

"Oh, the humanity. And love is love, Cole," Cordelia said lazily, as he leaned down and seemed to scratch the sleeping Xander behind the ear.

Despite the weird fetish thing that was going on, Cole was jealous at the sight of Cordy petting that twerp. "There's no such thing as evil love, Cordelia. It's just gratification, lust."

"Well, lust can be fun," Cordelia said with a smirk. "And hey, I learned just how much fun only a few minutes ago!"

"Yeah, well, just my opinion but I think you've had enough fun for today," Cole told her, trying to keep a tight rein on his admittedly short temper.

She looked at the half-demon, amused. "What's the matter, Cole? Upset that you didn't come sooner to play with me and my little doggy?"

"Who, Xander? Well, I don't think he would have liked me present to...play along," the former lawyer said to that. (Hmm. Maybe if I can wake him up and get him alone, somehow manage to explain...we can work together to try to cure Cordelia of this?)

"Oh, come on! That's not even a consideration now that he's housebroken. Trust me, Xander's going to do I whatever I tell him to do from this point on," Cordelia said sexily. Then she got an odd look on her face. "Maybe I can get Oz as a pet as well, to keep him company whenever I'm bored?"

"Cordelia?" Piper said, as she called through the bedroom door. "Are you okay in there?"

Cole instantly got worried. "Dantalian's coming for your Book. You'd better be ready when she does," the guy told her before he shimmered out.

Piper opened the door a moment later. "What's going on in here?"

"Nothing at the moment," Cordelia told her, indicating the unconscious Xander. "The fun's over."

Piper looked at her strangely. "I heard voices."

"Oh, Xander just fell asleep," Cordelia lied to her. "Um, but, I had a premonition!" She ushered her sister out of the room. "We gotta go. This priestess-looking bitch that has Prue, I saw her showing up here..."

---

**Halliwell Manor Attic**

**Twenty minutes later**

Dantalian appeared in the darkened room. She looked around, before carefully reaching down to pick up the Book of Shadows. It glowed briefly for a moment, but then stopped and let her pick it up. "That was easy."

"Too easy, bitch," Piper said as she blinked into the center of the room. At the same time Cordelia blinked behind the priestess, and kicked her hard to the floor.

Piper held out a large knife. "Now...where is our sister?"

Dantalian looked up at them, mad that she'd gotten caught. "I can help you. I can teach you evil. You're new at it. You don't know how to realise its full potential."

"I don't know," Piper said. "I think we're getting the hang of it."

Cordelia took the knife from her sister and put it to the demonic woman's neck. "Wanna see?"

"Where's Prue?" Piper demanded again.

Dantalian pushed her threat away. "Kill me and you'll never see her again."

Piper shrugged at her reply. "Hmm, so maybe we should just torture you instead?" She waved her hand and the woman's right arm and hand got turned to ice and stuck to the floor. Dantalian screamed in pain.

When she said nothing coherent though, Cordelia told Piper, "Why don't you just shatter her hand and see what happens?"

Piper grabbed a metal candlestick holder off the table, and held it over the frozen arm. "Last chance," she warned. But again the demoness said nothing.

"Fine." Piper slammed down the metal object and shattered the ice into thousands of pieces.

"YEAGHHHHHH!" Dantalian screamed in mortal agony.

It was music to Cordelia's ears. "You know," she told the demon. "I think we should do the other arm before the legs. What do you think?"

Piper answered the question, "Actually, we could work up, piece by piece all the way to her head."

Cordelia kicked the demon woman. "Where is Prue?"

However, the two evil witches were distracted as Leo orbed into the attic. "Piper, I can't believe you did that! Let me help you, I know we can overcome this..."

Dantalian took the offered opportunity and grabbed the Book with her intact hand, disappearing out of the attic.

"Damn it!" Cordelia yelled at once.

"What's going on?" Leo asked, unsure.

"Well, you just helped her escape, that's what's going on!" Cordelia raged impotently. "God, if only I had some darklighter poison handy!"

Piper was equally pissed off, so next best thing - she turned the whitelighter into a block of ice. "Will you just smash him already?"

"With pleasure," Cordelia growled as she did a powerful kick and smashed Leo into a million pieces. She looked down at the remains and spit on them. "Bastard!"

---

**Dantalian's Lair, the Underworld.**

**A few moments later**

The demon priestess was flipping though the Book of Shadows quickly with one hand. "Death alone will not suffice, my dear bride. Not anymore, not after this!" she said coldly to Prue's form.

"Yes!" she called out after she found an appropriate spell. "Welcome to my hell," Dantalian said bitterly.

---

**Halliwell Manor, San Francisco, California.**

**The same time**

Piper and Cordelia were storming down the stairs. "So what are we supposed to do now?" the middle sister demanded.

Cordelia frowned. "I don't know. Kill innocents? It's the one of the old standards. Besides, I can't be bothered going back upstairs to screw Xander's brains out right now. I might later, though."

"No," Piper said in annoyance. "I meant about Prue. How are we supposed to find her without the Book?"

The youngest sister smirked at her. "Shouldn't you be mourning the loss of your beloved Leo?"

Piper grabbed her. "I'm serious. That was one pissed-off priestess. And if she kills Prue, she takes the evil Power of Three along with her, and we won't stand a chance."

Cordelia had to agree. "Good point. We have to find Prue." She thought about it. "Wait a minute, we're warlocks now right? We should be able to blink wherever we want."

Piper shook her head. "But we don't know where to blink to."

Cordelia smiled. "We don't have to know where, just 'who'. To Prue. I mean, isn't that how Leo's orbing power worked?"

"Yeah, but his power was jammed," Piper reminded her. "He couldn't find her."

"That's because he was good," Cordelia told her. "And we're evil."

---

**Dantalian's Lair, the Underworld.**

**A moment later**

The one-armed priestess was chanting from the Book. "Through this book, weave this spell, create the pain of heaven to hell; may she suffer..." She stopped when Piper and Cordelia suddenly blinked into the room.

"Whoa," Piper said as she steadied herself.

"Are we there yet?" Cordelia demanded a moment before she saw... "Prue!"

"Too late, witches!" Dantalian taunted them. "I've got the Book!"

Piper looked across the room. "How about I just freeze your head and shatter it?"

Dantalian glared at her. "I may not be powerful enough to fight you yet, but they are." And right on cue, Prue and Zile awoke and got up.

"Whoa, Prue, hey, hi," Piper said quickly. "You don't look so good."

"Oh, but that's a great dress..." Cordelia tried. "Oh, who am I kidding? That sucks worse than something that even Cher would wear!"

Dantalian looked to the two newly-awakened beings. "Zile, Prue. Eliminate them."

Piper tried reason. "Prue, ignore her. Come on, come with us. We're your sisters."

"I'm his 'wife', not your sister," Prue replied before she used her powers to send Piper crashing into a stone wall.

"Alright," Piper said as she climbed back up. "I'll take that as a no."

"Okay, we have to figure out a way to get Prue on our side and fast!" Cordelia hissed at her.

Piper smirked, "How about we get her a divorce?"

Zile instantly shape-shifted into a perfect copy of Prue. They both blinked out and then reappeared in different places, confusing the younger Charmed Ones.

"Don't want to shatter the wrong sister, now, do you?" Dantalian laughed.

"I love you," one Prue said to the other.

"Me too," the other replied, as a dagger appeared in the hands of both Prue's.

"Welcome to Planet Narcissus," Piper said, not amused.

Cordelia looked up. "Wait a minute. Cole said that evil can't love."

Piper looked at her sharply. "Cole?"

"Uh, never mind that right now," Cordelia told her hurriedly. "The point is she didn't say, "I love you too"." As the two Prue's advanced, Cordelia pointed to the second Prue. "Uh, she's the warlock. Freeze her!"

Piper complied and the Prue on the right turned into ice just like Leo had.

"No! Zile!" Dantalian shouted, instantly worried.

Piper kicked the frozen Prue and easily shattered her. And as the warlock died, the spell over the magical trio was broken.

Prue looked at her outfit and then her siblings in utter confusion. "What's going on?"

"I think we're back," Cordelia spoke up, looking at her clothes for a moment. "All of us."

Out of the corner of her eye, Piper caught Dantalian making a run for it. With a wave of her hands she froze the demoness in place, and this time there was no ice. "I think the Book is back too."

"The let's go do something good with it," Prue proclaimed, as they walked over to the Book. Piper turned to a vanquishing spell, and they all chanted as one, "Powers of light, magic of right, cast this blight into forever's night."

Dantalian unfroze and screamed, as she got vanquished in a small fireball. Good riddance to her, too.

"Well," Prue said with a sigh, her memories having cleared up. "That was certainly a wedding from hell." She nudged Piper. "Although, I guess I was the first to get married after all, hmm?"

Piper's face fell as the memories came back to her too. "Oh, no. Leo."

"What?" Prue asked, concerned.

"We killed him," Cordelia told her, full of disbelief. Then her face momentarily took on an expression of complete horror, as she recalled all the things she had done to her own man whilst under the influence of evil.

---

**Halliwell Manor Attic**

**A while later**

The three women ran into the attic with Piper at the lead. As soon as she saw the spot where Leo had been shattered, the poor woman broke down and started to sob. Nothing was left of the icy remains, for either him or the demoness's arm. "Oh, Leo. I'm sooo sorry!"

Prue and Cordelia heard the sound of orbing, and looked around as a fully intact Leo Wyatt appeared whole and hale. Cordelia grabbed Piper by the shoulder and turned her around to see him.

Piper instantly got up and ran to him. "Oh, thank God you're okay!" the woman said as she held her beloved tightly and cried.

Leo comforted her before he explained, "Actually, it had more to do with what you guys did. Vanquishing Zile broke the bond, and reversed all the evil you had done."

"I just hope the wedding planners don't remember what we did to them," Cordelia muttered, a bit nervous.

"Unfortunately, they will," Leo told her. "But I doubt they'll believe what happened. The state of denial isn't exclusive to Sunnydale, after all."

Piper looked up to him. "But unfortunately, that doesn't extend to you."

Cordelia cringed. "Oh, yeah, Leo, sorry we...killed you."

"It's okay, Cordelia," Leo replied calmly. "That wasn't the real you. Or you, Piper."

"Wasn't it?" Prue asked him. "I mean, on some level it was me. I felt it. They didn't just plant evil inside of me, or us, for that matter. There had to be something there for them to turn to begin with."

"That doesn't make you evil, Prue," their guardian counseled her. "You have to choose to be evil voluntarily."

"Well, I gotta admit it, it was kind of fun."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Cordelia!"

"Well, it was fun for a while!" the youngest Halliwell said. "I mean to be able to do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted, with no consequences."

Piper stopped her at once. "My fiancé getting blown up and also being shattered into a gazillion pieces is kind of a consequence."

"I kinda understand what Cordelia's saying," Prue said.

"Wait, you do?" Cordy asked her oldest sister.

Prue thought about it as she crossed her arms, "All I'm saying is if evil weren't enticing, why would there be any? I mean, you know, to pretend that we're never attracted to it, it's like pretending that it just doesn't exist." She sighed. "Although after all this, I have to admit Justin is kind of boring."

"Well, scratch one name off of the wedding guest list," Leo said trying to keep things light for the moment.

"Actually, scratch 'em all," Piper said, getting a look from Leo. "I cave. Our lives are just way too bizarre to have any sort of normal wedding. I don't know what I was thinking."

Leo kissed the top of her head. "Well, whatever you want. And I think this is one little adventure that Xander will be happy that he missed out on."

Prue shook her head. "He just slept through all this?"

"Ah, not exactly..." Cordelia blushed beet-red. "I...I better go check on him," she mumbled before she ran up the stairs.

---

**Cordelia and Xander's bedroom**

**A few moments later**

Xander was still out cold, when the young witch ran into their room.

"Oh, God..." Cordelia muttered. She then quickly yanked off the dog collar in dismay. (Is he ever gonna forgive me for this? God, I hope so!) "Xander? Wake up!"

She slapped him lightly, and instantly Harris was awake and aware of what was going on around him. The pain from the riding crop was still present, but that something more to be ignored than contemplated for the moment.

Because unfortunately, Cordelia had completely forgotten that her boyfriend was still possessed by that Primal hyena spirit, and she let out a small yelp when Xander dragged her underneath him on the bed. "Hey!"

"Mate," the male specimen said, sniffing his girlfriend intensely. And this time, she smelled right to his heightened senses.

"Uh, yeah, but Xander honey..." Cordelia tried to be diplomatic about this, as his naked body pressed down upon hers and she realized her error.

"Breed," Harris said in a no-nonsense tone, focusing on his own priorities. "Now."

(Okay, I don't wanna hurt your feelings here but this is 'so' not the time!) "Xander, just calm down and I'll reverse the-"

"Ready," Hyena Boy said, holding her down and again sniffing at her. Cordelia was instantly stunned to see that Xander really meant it too, from the huge bulge pressing against her crotch. "Fertile. Mate become mother," the former Slayerette then promised her simply.

Now this was unexpected, as Xander's lips found hers and Harris started trying to remove her pants. Cordy was in shock both from his intended actions, and the fact that Xander's hang-ups about being a father one day were obviously missing in action here.

(Am I ready to become a mom, though?) Cordelia thought vaguely to herself, as they writhed together on the bed. (I haven't even finished college yet...and Xander isn't even in his right mind at the moment!)

So she finally pushed him off with an unexpected burst of strength, "Xander, no! Don't!"

The animalistic young man just stared at her. Luckily for all concerned, the hyena had learned from past mistakes and wasn't interested in rape; in his mind, if the mate didn't want to breed with him right now there were other things to occupy his time.

"Feed," Xander said simply, turning around to stare at the bedroom door that led downstairs.

"Let the beast return from whence it came, here and now and in this case. And let my love return to his truer form, plus his prior state of grace," Cordelia chanted the moment Harris was distracted.

Instantly, Xander collapsed on top of the Charmed One as his eyes flashed yellow for an instant. Cordy just groaned and started to move the dead weight off of herself, anticipating quite a lot of groveling to make up for this particular bump in their relationship.

(I just hope he doesn't leave me again for a few months, like he did the last time...)

---

**P3 club, San Francisco, California.**

**Saturday, February 16th 2002**

While Xander was behind the bar, the girls were sitting in their little alcove area. "So, please tell me you finally burned that bridal outfit, Prue?" Cordelia asked. "On account of that thing looked terrible on you."

"A demon picked it!" Prue said, defending herself.

"No more demon talk tonight," Piper told them firmly. "I want just one trouble-free evening, comprende?"

"Well, you've just jinxed us completely now, you know," Cordelia told her. "You don't say the D-word if you don't want them to show up like that."

Piper was going to reply but she stopped, when she saw the top of one of Cordelia's shopping bags. "Sexy Slave Girl Costume?" she asked, before the engaged woman pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

"No peeking!" Cordelia quickly demanded as she jumped up, grabbed the cuffs and shoved them back into the bag.

Prue looked at her, very amused, while Piper looked serious. "So, does this have anything to do what you did to Xander while we were evil?"

"What happened?" Prue asked, enjoying the look on Cordelia's face.

"Well, she told me Xander had just fallen back asleep when I went to get her that night," Piper told Prue. "But he was very sore the next day..."

Both sisters looked at Cordelia. "Xander and I are fine now," Cordelia said firmly. "Some things took place during that evening that no power on earth will ever make me talk about, but we're all good here after Xander and I talked last night. In fact, hopefully, our relationship is now even stronger than ever before."

"So, does this mean you guys are finally gonna set a date for the big occasion? Or you'll just skip all the preliminaries, and simply make it a double wedding with Leo and Piper?" Prue wanted to know.

The young woman blushed beet-red just like that night a few days ago, and quickly beat a hasty retreat to the bar - leaving her sisters laughing.

"Guess one good thing came out of the evil time," Prue laughed.

"Oh yeah," Piper giggled. "And we can milk this one for all it's worth, hopefully for at least the next two weeks!"

TBC...


End file.
